On Gu Yan's side, he stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of his luxurious villa, looking down at the two figures outside the courtyard with a playful expression.
When he saw Xiao Lin helping Shen Wan'er into the car, a satisfied smile curved his lips.
Very good.
The plan was already halfway complete.
Xiao Lin showing up here hadn't been part of the original plan, yet the result was unexpectedly perfect.
And that car taking Xiao Lin away—
The person inside was most likely Bai Jun, the eldest son of the Bai family from the original plot.
Very good. Everything was progressing smoothly.
Perhaps Xiao Lin appearing here was the world's self-correction at work.
After all—
A sad, crying heroine collapsing in front of a car.
Wouldn't she naturally need a "hero" to comfort her and raise her affection?
Heh…
Perfect.
Gu Yan already knew the next key turning point—the moment when their bond would deepen again.
Shen Tian's death.
Only after Shen Tian died would Shen Wan'er completely collapse mentally.
And at that moment, Xiao Lin's comfort and concern would finally pierce her heart.
Of course, Shen Tian could die—but Leng Ling'er must not be involved.
Otherwise, everything would revert back to the original plot.
Just imagining it—
Shen Wan'er crying helplessly, Xiao Lin gently comforting her…
Gu Yan almost laughed out loud.
That's right.
He had personally asked Shen Wan'er to take that bottle of power-suppressing liquid.
It was mixed into the red wine she drank in one gulp.
In truth, even a single sip would've been enough.
He hadn't expected her to drink the entire glass.
Drunk, heartbroken—and running straight into Xiao Lin who had just been released.
An excellent development.
Gu Yan had considered many ways to weaken Xiao Lin before.
One of them was the most direct—
Killing Wang Yulan and the other heroines.
Literal killing. Assassination.
But he quickly abandoned that idea.
First, these women were "favored by fate." Even if killed, there was a high chance they'd revive through some absurd miracle.
Second, many of them had terrifying backgrounds. With his current strength, he couldn't act freely.
Third, Leng Qingqiu was still growing. Making enemies everywhere would only speed up his own death.
Most importantly—
Killing the heroines wouldn't truly weaken Xiao Lin.
Xiao Lin's strength didn't come from his physique or talent alone.
It came from his pure, passionate, never-giving-up heart.
So if you want to destroy someone—
You destroy their heart.
Gu Yan planned to use these original heroines to deal Xiao Lin irreversible damage.
Damage aimed directly at the heart.
Once that thought settled, the next steps were already clear in Gu Yan's mind.
But before that—
He checked the time.
9:30 p.m.
Perfect.
"Hehe~"
"Xiao Qingqing~ (づ￣3￣)づ╭ I'm coming to see you!"
Gu Yan straightened his clothes and happily headed toward the underground garage.
---
Leng Residence
Study Room
"Mm… ah…"
Mei Xue's face flushed unnaturally as she lay flat on the sofa.
Black mist completely enveloped her body.
Leng Qingqiu stood in front of her, eyes open—revealing a pair of eerie, pitch-black pupils.
The book in his hand, titled "Night", emitted a terrifying black glow.
Endless black mist poured out from the pages, wrapping around Mei Xue.
"M-Master…"
Mei Xue tried to open her eyes, breathing unevenly as she looked at Leng Qingqiu.
The other party remained calm, as if deep in thought while treating her.
Perhaps because of that distraction, the force he used was slightly stronger.
Mei Xue felt an overwhelming power surge into her body—
Comfortable, yet unbearably intense.
"Endure it," Leng Qingqiu said calmly.
"The treatment will be over soon."
The entire process lasted barely a minute.
But to Mei Xue, it felt like half a lifetime.
She clenched her teeth as the two forces within her body collided violently, tossing her senses into chaos.
Finally—
A more ferocious black energy devoured the golden aura completely.
The treatment ended.
Mei Xue was drenched in sweat.
At the same time, she felt her bottleneck loosen slightly.
She immediately understood—this was the master's gift.
"Hah… hah…"
Panting softly, Mei Xue looked at Leng Qingqiu with dazed gratitude.
"Thank you for the gift, Master."
Though the method was strange, it served a purpose.
Leng Qingqiu had intentionally infused her with a trace of the Power of Night.
With this, Mei Xue would likely break through soon.
Leng Qingqiu closed the book and his eyes.
Fortunately, no one else was present—otherwise, misunderstandings would be inevitable.
After a brief pause, he said calmly:
"I have a secret mission for you."
Mei Xue immediately snapped back to attention, standing up and kneeling on one knee.
"Please give your orders, Master!"
"For the organization's plan," Leng Qingqiu said,
"we require the Gu family's power."
"Therefore, Gu Yan—the next heir—is a target we must secure."
"From now on, you will secretly follow Gu Yan and protect him."
He paused, then emphasized coldly:
"Even if you die—Gu Yan must not."
Mei Xue's heart trembled violently.
"Yes!"
Cold sweat soaked her back.
Why did the master suddenly mention Gu Yan?
Did he discover her secret relationship with Gu Yan?
No—
Impossible.
If that had been exposed, she wouldn't have survived long enough to kneel here.
…This must just be a normal mission.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
No wonder the master had been close to Gu Yan.
It was all to control the Gu family.
So that's it.
But Gu Yan…
He's not as simple as he appears.
Unable to hold back, Mei Xue said carefully,
"Master… there is a powerful old man beside Gu Yan…"
A reminder. A warning.
Leng Qingqiu nodded calmly.
"Of course I know."
Mei Xue froze.
Then shame flooded her heart.
Who was the master?
How could he not know?
He must have already seen through Gu Yan completely.
Sending her to protect Gu Yan was merely to gain his trust—
So the Gu family could be swallowed whole later.
What a terrifying plan.
Gu Yan thought the master knew nothing.
How touching he'd be, seeing such "protection."
Then—
Thunder would strike.
The Gu family would fall in one sweep.
As expected of the master.
Mei Xue lowered her head deeply.
"Yes, Master! I will complete the mission!"
Leng Qingqiu was mildly confused by her sudden enthusiasm, but nodded calmly.
"Go clean yourself up. Then begin protecting Gu Yan in secret."
"Yes!"