This is a bizarre rule, isn't it? It's supposed to grant me many children and good fortune

Lin Feng was taken aback for a moment, then quickly followed: "My wife is so thoughtful."

Leng Meng didn't turn her head, but the corners of her lips curved slightly without her noticing.

The two of them, one after the other, quietly slipped down the stairs to the basement.

Leng Meng pushed open the door to the billiard room and gestured to Lin Feng, "Please."

Lin Feng slipped inside, followed closely by Leng Meng, who then closed the door behind him.

The lock clicked shut.

The lights came on.

Warm yellow light enveloped the room, shining on the dark green tablecloth and giving the whole room an ambiguous velvety glow.

Leng Meng turned around to face him, raised her hand, and lashed the air with her whip—

"Snapped!"

The whip tip grazed Lin Feng's ear, bringing a cool breeze, and struck the edge of the billiard table steadily, leaving a thin white mark.

She withdrew the whip, gently pressing the handle against his chin, forcing him to tilt his head back slightly.

"Prisoner Lin Feng followed the warden into the restricted area..."

She tilted her head, a glint in her eyes, and spoke in a long, languid voice:

"Tell me, what is the punishment for your crime?"

Lin Feng's breathing became noticeably heavier, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was slightly hoarse when he spoke.

"I admired the warden's demeanor and couldn't help myself."

Leng Meng raised an eyebrow: "Is the warden's demeanor something a mere prisoner like you can casually admire?"

Lin Feng met her gaze calmly: "I overstepped my bounds, and I am willing to accept the punishment without a single complaint."

Leng Meng circled around behind him and stood still, the end of the whip slowly sliding down his spine.

Lin Feng's back was ramrod straight, and his fingertips unconsciously gripped the edge of the billiard table.

Leng Meng leaned over his shoulder, her warm breath brushing against his earlobe, carrying a hint of teasing amusement:

"Standing so straight... are you worried I'll hit you too hard?"

Lin Feng turned his head, his cheek almost touching her forehead, his voice hoarse:

"I'm afraid you'll hesitate."

Leng Meng gave a soft "heh," withdrew her whip, walked around to Lin Feng, grabbed his collar, and shoved him hard—

Lin Feng leaned back and landed steadily on the large billiard table.

Leng Meng looked down at him, lightly lashing his thigh with her leather whip.

"Then let this warden take a good look at you, this prisoner from the 'Iron Kidney Realm'..."

Before she finished speaking, she casually tossed aside the whip, bent down, and grabbed his collar with both hands—

With a sharp "rip," the front of the shirt tore from the collar all the way to the waist, and the buttons popped off and rolled all over the ground.

"...Whether it can withstand scrutiny or not."

........................

An hour and a half later, the door to the billiard room finally opened from the inside.

Leng Meng was the first to walk out, her cheeks flushed slightly, and the top button on her uniform collar was missing.

She casually adjusted her collar, a satisfied and languid expression on her face.

She glanced sideways at Lin Feng, who had followed her out, and gave a soft chuckle:

"Your Iron Kidney Realm... is indeed impressive."

Lin Feng leaned against the door frame, having already changed his shirt—he always kept several sets of clothes in his personal space, and they came in handy now.

His buttons were neatly fastened, but his expression couldn't hide the weariness of someone who had been completely drained but was still trying to maintain a respectable facade.

His jawline twitched slightly, and a smile curved his lips.

"That's natural."

Leng Meng raised her eyebrows: "I'll go call Vivian over, you get ready for the second round."

Lin Feng visibly stiffened: "...Wait a minute."

Leng Meng frowned.

Lin Feng coughed lightly, trying his best to appear calm:

"Although I'm quite resilient... I can't withstand this kind of wear and tear."

"Rest for two hours first, take a break."

"When you leave, just say I'm on a serious call with the ghost story strategy team, and don't let anyone disturb me."

Leng Meng's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, a knowing smile appearing in her eyes:

"Okay, then you should get some rest."

After saying that, she turned around and went up the stairs.

Lin Feng watched Leng Meng's figure disappear, then immediately turned around, quickly crossed the corridor, pushed open the door of the communications room, slipped inside, and locked the door behind him.

He then took out his phone and quickly switched it to silent mode.

Then he collapsed onto the large leather sofa, and almost as soon as his head hit the backrest, he fell into a deep sleep.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.

Lin Feng woke up on time, his eyes clear and bright, all his fatigue gone.

He glanced at the time; it was already around 5 p.m.

He stood up and stretched his shoulders and neck, pondering in his mind:

According to the previously agreed-upon schedule, tonight should be spent with Xiaofu.

But before that, he had to figure out a way to get Vivian a decent meal—

Otherwise, I would feel really guilty.

Dinner is usually at 6:30, and there's still an hour and a half left. It's not a lot of time, but it's not like there's no room for maneuver either.

Lin Feng pushed open the door and strode out.

Just as we reached the first floor, before we even turned onto the stairs to the second floor, a soft little dumpling rushed towards us with a "plop, plop," grabbed our legs, and looked up at us with bright, sparkling eyes:

"Daddy! Daddy! Catch the butterfly!"

It's Kobayashi Tetsu.

Su Wan followed behind: "Finished chatting with the Ghost Stories Strategy Team? Perfect timing, Cheche's been wanting to go to the garden, why don't you go play with him for a while?"

Just as Lin Feng was about to speak, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure walking down the stairs out of the corner of his eye—Vivian.

She changed into a loose cotton-linen shirt, casually rolling up the sleeves to her forearms, and held a glass of water in her hand.

When Vivian saw Lin Feng, she paused slightly, her eyes met his, and her lips moved as if she had something to say, but she swallowed it back because Su Wan was present.

She simply lowered her eyes and took a sip of water.

Lin Feng's heart tightened at the sight.

He was fretting when his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the living room carpet—

Dian Dian was lying there, listlessly drooping its ears and looking around with its one eye.

A sudden inspiration struck Lin Feng.

He immediately sent a thought to Dian Dian: "Dian Dian, pretend to be sick, immediately, right now."

Dot's single eye suddenly widened, glanced at Lin Feng, and then—

Without hesitation, it collapsed onto the carpet, stretched out its four short legs, belly up, its tongue lolling out crookedly, its eyes half-closed, and a weak "woo-woo-woo" groan came from its throat, as if it had eaten something bad and was about to die.

Its acting skills are so superb that it can be called the best actor in the dog world.

Lin Feng immediately looked "terrified," rushed over in three steps and squatted down, touching Dian Dian's belly with one hand, his voice rising a few decibels:

"DianDian! DianDian, what's wrong?!"

Vivian immediately put down her water glass and rushed over, bending down to examine her—after all, she was a doctor, and her instincts were faster than her brain.

While Su Wan and Lin Che were both focused on Dian Dian, Lin Feng winked at her very lightly.

Vivian instantly understood, squatted down, adopted the serious expression of a professional doctor, pressed her fingers on the abdomen, and solemnly palpated it for two seconds. Then, her brows furrowed, and her tone turned serious:

"The situation is not good."

"The abdomen is showing obvious spasms, highly suggestive of acute intussusception. The veterinarian must be taken to the hospital immediately; delay could be life-threatening."