*knock knock

A sudden knock sounds behind Yue Ling and Madam Lu, causing the two women to turn around. When they saw who it was, a sense of relief washed over Yue Ling while Madam Lu pouted her lips.

The middle-aged woman places the brochures in her hands down on the table and quietly clicks her tongue. Her entire demeanor was as if she was displeased by the person.

“Tian, can’t you see that Ah Ling and I are still busy going over important matters regarding your wedding?”

Lu Tian stood like a tall pillar holding his ground. His eyes glued to his wife with faint softness before gradually glancing at his mother with an expression void of emotions.

“Mother, the dinner you prepared will go to waste.”

His words enter Madam Lu’s ears, and her eyes widen in realization. She bolted up from her seat but didn’t forget to bring Yue Ling.

“My goodness, I almost forgot.”

She laughs at herself for taking her sweet time chatting with Yue Ling and walks towards the dining room.

“Sweety, we must hurry. The moment I came one from our meeting, I got to cooking. I made sure everything suits your taste.”

Her chatting did not cease as she led Yue Ling out of the room. However, just as the two women walked past Lu Tian, they were stopped.

Lu Tian grabs hold of his wife’s free hand. He ensured his grip was not too tight in fear of hurting her.

“You can go first, mother.”

Madam Lu turned around to look at her eldest son. She wanted to refute but let go of Yue Ling’s hand.

“Alright. I have to go check if the food has become cold.”

She gives her future daughter-in-law a smile and then leaves on her own. Of course, she didn’t forget to give her son a deadly glare.

Yue Ling watched the mother and son’s interaction, and she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. However, deciding to do neither, she clears her throat and looks at Lu Tian.

“You should be nicer to your mother. Without her, you wouldn’t be here.”

She knows it is normal for Lu Tian and Madam Lu to behave this way, but the woman is still his mother. If one did not know they were mother and son, one would undoubtedly think the pair were enemies.

Lu Tian slightly arched an eyebrow at his wife’s words. He stares at her serious face for a long second before shrugging his shoulder.

“Just for you, I’ll try.”

He pauses after his words, then slightly lean towards her, and the corners of his lips curl up.

“But from what I saw, you looked quite pleased to see me.”

He gently pulls her closer to him, closing the gap between them.

“Like I had saved you from the devil.”

Yue Ling was speechless by his shameless behavior. She could only blink her eyes at him with a flushed face.

He was right. She didn’t know how to end the conversation with Madam Lu. She was afraid of causing any misunderstanding. However, the moment she saw Lu Tian, she felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It was as if she could finally breathe again.

She clears her throat and faintly pouts her lips.

“You didn’t save me from the devil. You just helped me get out of a situation.”

Lu Tian gaze at his wife with a smile on his face. After speaking to his father, he came to find her. He knew that his father’s worries might come true if he didn’t.

He leans his head closer to her and places a small kiss on her forehead.

“It’s the same thing.”

He moves away from her and gently squeezes her hand in his grasp.

“Let’s go. Everyone must be waiting for us now.”

As they walked away, Yue Ling was left in a daze. She didn’t know if it was better to have a conversation with Madam Lu or with him. All she could do was stare at the back of Lu Tian as he led her in the direction his mother had gone.

While Yue Ling and Lu Tian joined the Lu family for dinner, in another part of Imperial, a dark modern glass house hid deep in the mountains of Imperial.

Inside one of the many rooms inside the house, monitor screens are set up against one wall like pictures. In the center of the room, a man clothed in a set of black loungewear sat in a swivel chair. He held his chin with one hand and a cup of coffee in his other hand.

His eyes focused on the middle screen and a frown cast over his expression like he was deep in thought.

“Hmm.”

He sighs every so often before taking a sip of the drink in his hand.

“Qin Xue… responsibilities… what to do….”

*knock knock

“Mr. Lin?”

A knock interrupts him followed by the voice of a young man. He broke free from these thoughts and spun around in his seat to the door.

He looks at the person and heaves a long sigh.

“Liu Ye, how many times do I have to remind you to stop calling me that? Call me Lin Hui or Hui.”

He places the drink in his hand on a nearby table and looks at the young man standing at the door.

“Calling me that makes me seem like an old man.”

He lightly shakes his head before spinning his seat to face the monitor screens again.

“Come. Have a seat.”

Liu Ye blushed in embarrassment since Lin Hui’s words were valid. However, following Lin Hui’s words, he walks over to sit on an empty chair.

“Yes, sir… I mean, Mr… I mean, Lin Hui.”

He stumbles with his words as he does with sitting down. His behavior made Lin Hui want to laugh, but not wanting to embarrass him more, Lin Hui held his laughter back.

“Are your siblings sleeping?”

“Mm.”

Liu Ye answered right away with a short response. He and his siblings have been under Lin Hui’s care, and they are genuinely grateful to the man. He really took care of them and made sure they were not uncomfortable in any way.

Although they had been staying with Lin Hui, he had never stepped inside this room since the door was closed. At the same time, he was not one to pry into other people’s lives, so he never asked any questions.

Also, he places his complete trust in Yue Ling, so Lin Hui and the others are no different.

He subconsciously glances at the screens in front of him and his eyes ever so lightly widen in surprise.

“Wow. You can practically see all of Imperial here.”

Each screen had a live image of Imperial in the present time. However, he could tell from a glance that the setup in this room was done by a professional.

“I’ve never seen anything as advanced as this.”

He has basic knowledge when it comes to tech, but what Lin Hui can do is beyond his reach. He is sure he will never reach the man’s level.

Lin Hui smiles at the boy’s beaming expression and leans back in his seat. He can see that Liu Ye has a great interest in IT.

After all, when he and the others first met the young man, he (Liu Ye) was forced to be the hacker for Tao Meng.

He looks away from Liu Ye and focuses his eyes on the screen he was watching earlier.

“If you want, I can teach you a few tricks to hacking.”

Liu Ye froze in place. He was looking at the bright screen in front of him, but he was unable to focus on the image.

His head slowly turns to look at the man sitting next to him. His mouth opened and closed as if to say something, but he had turned into a fish on dried land.

Lin Hui glanced sideways at the young man when he didn’t hear a response. However, seeing the utter shock on Liu Ye’s face, he lets out a small laugh.

“I’m serious, but that’s only if you want to learn.”

Liu Ye quickly comes to his senses and nods his head.

“Yes. I want to learn.”

He would be lying if he said he didn’t. Ever since he was little, he had dreamed of attending an IT school. However, due to his situation, he was never able to and had to learn independently without guidance.

Lin Hui smiles at the boy. He was surprised that Liu Ye agreed quickly since the young man had never once asked for anything.

He looks back at the screen, but Liu Ye’s following words take him by great surprise.

“Please take care of me, Master Lin.”

Lin Hui doesn’t look at Liu Ye but raises his hand to touch his chin like he has a long beard.

“Hm… Master Lin. It has a nice ring to it… You can be my apprentice.”

Liu Ye stares at Lin Hui with lips pressed tightly together. He needed to make sure that he didn’t laugh at the sight of the man who said he (Lin Hui) didn’t want to seem like an old man.

He was afraid that if he laughed, it would ruin Lin Hui’s mood, and the man would take back his words.

The two men monitor the screens before something flashes in Lin Hui’s mind. He frowns and parts his lips.

“Hey, apprentice, have you ever been in a relationship?”

Liu Ye is bewildered by the question but shakes his head.

“No. I never had the time to date.”

He was too busy looking after his siblings that dating was never in his mind. He also made the decision not to date until he had a good life.

Unaware of Liu Ye’s thoughts, Lin Hui nods his head in understanding, but one can see the faintness of sympathy in his eyes.

“Well, that makes the two of us.”

His words fell with a heavy heart. He thought he could somehow talk to Liu Ye about his situation regarding Qin Xue, but he will have to ask someone else.

Just as he lets out a long sigh, something on one of the screens catches his attention. It was of a man moving amongst the dark streets of Imperial.

“Hey, apprentice, here’s your first assignment.”

One corner of his lips arcs up as a dangerous smirk flash across his face.

“Keep watch over the house.”

He stands up from the swivel chair and grabs his coat hung behind him.

“I need to step out for a bit.”

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