Chapter 42: The Heiress's Outburst

I stood there blankly, watching the graceful figure not far away.

Ling Xuan seemed unaware that I was injured. She stamped her foot, suddenly ran over quickly, and glared at me with a furious expression and sparkling eyes.

I gripped my right hand while slightly turning my body to keep her from seeing the wound on my right shoulder. Smiling awkwardly, I said, "Eldest Miss, why are you here?"

Ling Xuan stared fixedly at me and demanded angrily, "Why aren't you acting as my bodyguard? What are you doing here?" As she spoke, she glanced at the BMW.

I quickly regained my composure and smiled, "Didn't I say I was sending a friend back? As you can see, it's a good thing I did, or she'd be in real trouble."

"Who is she?" Ling Xuan asked coldly.

"A friend of mine, and also an employee at our company."

"An employee at our company?" Ling Xuan looked deeply suspicious, casting a cold glance at the BMW. "How long have you even been at the company? How do you have such a close employee that you can ditch me and Xi Xi in the middle of the night just to drive her home?"

My heart stirred, but I had no mind to delve into that right now. I smiled and said, "Alright, let's talk about this when we get back! I need to get my friend home first."

Ling Xuan didn't speak, but glared at me with intense annoyance and hatred, gritting her teeth as if she wanted to devour me alive.

Her stare made my skin crawl. I forced a smile and said, "Eldest Miss, why don't you head back first? I'll be right back, okay?"

"Are you a pig?!" Ling Xuan suddenly roared.

Uh, I looked back awkwardly and happened to catch Qin Ruhua quickly pulling her head back through the car window.

Ling Xuan roared again, "You expect me to walk back alone in the middle of the night? Aren't you afraid I'll run into an assassin halfway? Why aren't you driving me back instead?!"

Oh! So that was what she meant. But was the Eldest Miss jealous, or just pissed off that her bodyguard wasn't protecting her and was protecting someone else instead?

A flash of understanding crossed my mind, though I couldn't reach a definitive conclusion just yet.

If I assumed Ling Xuan liked me and was therefore jealous, it felt a bit far-fetched. Ling Xi's adoration for me was obvious, her sister's reliance on me was obvious, Qin Ruhua's affection for me was obvious, and Sister Yuan's warmth toward me was also obvious. Only Ling Xuan greeted me with nothing but beatings and scoldings.

By comparison, I really found it hard to believe that her blows and insults were expressions of affection—otherwise, why wouldn't anyone else use beatings and scoldings to show they cared? Besides, she had been treating me this way ever since I first arrived; surely she couldn't have fallen for me right from the start!

I wasn't very good at deciphering the quirky and convoluted minds of young women. Seeing Ling Xuan like this, although I suspected she might have feelings for me, I still didn't dare to be certain.

Perhaps if I were given more time to ponder, I could figure out the answer, but at this exact moment, I had no leisure for such idle thoughts.

Still, my greatest strengths were having thick skin and a bold heart.

After a moment's hesitation, I chuckled and asked, "Eldest Miss, have you fallen for me?"

Ling Xuan froze. Glaring at me with an expression that showed utter disappointment, she stamped her foot and roared, "I hate you, you pig!"

Well, I was completely disheveled by that response.

Just then, Qin Ruhua poked her head out of the car window and said with a sweet smile, "Brother Fan, let's go back."

"Alright," I replied casually, then turned to Ling Xuan. "Eldest Miss, how about this? You just follow behind us, and once I've dropped my friend off, we can all head back together."

Ling Xuan shot Qin Ruhua a chilling look, gritted her teeth, and sneered, "Fine!"

Feeling a bit intimidated by her expression, I paused and said earnestly, "Eldest Miss, can you just tell me straight what's on your mind? Acting like this leaves me completely at a loss."

To my surprise, this only made Ling Xuan even angrier. She suddenly shouted, "Get lost!"

Startled, I shuddered and hurriedly turned to walk toward the BMW like a whipped dog. A trace of anger began to mingle with my lingering panic, and I really wanted to find a chance to tell her that my patience had limits—she shouldn't assume that because I took her abuse in stride, I had no temper and could be used as an emotional punching bag anytime and anywhere for no reason!

I had barely taken two steps when Ling Xuan roared behind me, "Chu Bufan, you pig! Stop right there!"

Damn it, my anger finally flared up. I spun around abruptly and demanded angrily, "What on earth do you want, Eldest Miss?!"

"You!" Ling Xuan stood frozen, staring intensely at me, before two trails of clear tears suddenly streamed down her face. She stamped her foot hard and ran over quickly.

I was stunned.

Ling Xuan lunged forward, threw her arms around me, buried her face in my shoulder, and burst into loud sobs.

I froze entirely.

She was hugging me so tightly. I had never imagined those delicate arms could possess such strength, as if she wanted to knead me right into her body.

Unable to help myself, I reached out and embraced her back, saying in a daze, "Ling Xuan, you do like me after all."

"No!" Ling Xuan suddenly released her grip, shoved me away, and cried out, "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you to death!"

I froze again. Why did Ling Xuan keep switching back and forth between opposite statements? But by now, I was certain she harbored feelings for me.

Seeing me stunned, Ling Xuan suddenly broke into laughter through her tears. She glared at me with a mix of exasperation and helplessness, her gorgeous face tear-stained yet radiant like an immortal fairy, and abruptly pulled my head down to kiss me.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Qin Ruhua suddenly bolted out of the car and ran over.

Ling Xuan startled and stopped what she was doing.

Qin Ruhua grabbed my hand and yanked me hard, pulling me to her side. Clinging to my arm, she glared angrily at Ling Xuan.

Ling Xuan looked Qin Ruhua up and down a few times, strode over, and pulled me back directly into her arms. Wrapping her arms around me defensively, she said coldly and tyrannically, "Chu Bufan belongs to me from now on. You're fired!"

I blinked. That sounded an awful lot like a move I usually pulled myself.

Yet at this moment, I didn't dare to speak up, feeling rather uneasy in my heart.

Qin Ruhua's face flushed crimson, a mix of anger and wounded pride. She shouted indignantly, "What gives you the right? Don't think you can bully people just because you're the chairperson!"

With that, she grabbed my arm and pulled with all her might, using immense strength to haul me out of Ling Xuan's embrace. "Brother Fan, take me home."

Ling Xuan hurriedly reached out, grabbed my other hand, and yelled angrily, "You're not allowed to go!"

Trapped between them, with each holding one of my hands, I was too terrified to speak.

While I wouldn't mind enjoying the blessings of multiple partners, facing a scene like this, I didn't dare speak rashly—even though I considered myself a king who deserved to enjoy such romantic fortune just like those grand tycoons.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit me. I let out a loud shout, wrenched my hands free from their grips, and said, "I just remembered! Ruhua, have you offended anyone recently?" As I turned to look at her, I noticed her eyes were slightly damp.

Qin Ruhua blinked in surprise and said, "No!"

"Then I know," I said, putting on a thoughtful expression as if drawn into an entirely different matter. "It must be that Liu Xiaofeng from last time! Damn it, the brat really hasn't learned his lesson! I'll definitely wipe him out next time!"

Qin Ruhua blinked again. "Liu Xiaofeng? He'd dare be that bold?"

"I don't care about any Liu Xiaofeng!" Ling Xuan suddenly threw her arms around my arm again.

"Hold on!" I raised a hand to interrupt Ling Xuan and said earnestly, "Though that punk Liu Xiaofeng is a coward, he does have some backing. Since he dared to target Ruhua, he must have figured out where she lives. In my opinion, Ruhua has to move. As it happens, the apartment I rented in Shangpin Community is still empty—"

"No way!" Ling Xuan roared.

"He found out where I live?" Qin Ruhua froze, lowered her head in thought for a moment, and suddenly hugged my arm, her face breaking into a sweet smile. "Brother Fan, I'll move to your place then!"

I smiled at Ling Xuan and said, "Let's put these petty personal matters aside for now. Human lives are at stake; let Ruhua move over first so I can keep an eye on her safety."

"Chu Bufan, you!" Ling Xuan glared at me furiously.

I reached out to clasp her hand and coaxed her with a smile, "No matter what, safety comes first right now, doesn't it? If she moves anywhere else, I won't be able to look after her, and she'll just get tracked down again quickly anyway. Moving to our place is the only option, and we can all commute together from now on."

"Commute together?!" Ling Xuan's anger flared even higher, as if she wanted to chew me up and swallow me whole.

I smiled, suddenly shouted a decisive "Enough!", and stated firmly, "That settles it, my word is final! Both of you are under threat now, and human lives are at stake. There is no way I'm leaving either of you to fend for yourselves!"

"Mm, I'll listen to Brother Fan," Qin Ruhua nodded obediently.

Ling Xuan glared at me, gritting her teeth in absolute frustration, yet she was powerless to do anything else—after all, she couldn't afford to ignore her own personal safety either.

With a slight smile, I waved a hand grandly and said, "Now then, let's all go drop Ruhua off, pack up a few simple things, and she'll move in tonight."