The evil dragon has been released from prison; it will only kill, not save!

Gu Zhaoning had just come out of the bathroom, her hair still wet, holding a hairdryer, and was looking down for a power outlet.

Then she raised her head.

Eyes facing each other.

The air froze for about half a second.

"ah--!"

Gu Zhaoning's scream almost blew the roof off.

She instinctively pulled the towel up a bit, and the hairdryer flew out of her hand, hitting Qin Hao squarely on the head.

Qin Hao turned his head, and the hairdryer flew past his ear and hit the corridor wall with a "bang".

"rogue!"

Gu Zhaoning grabbed the bedside lamp and threw it at him.

Qin Hao took two steps back, easily dodging the attack.

The lamp fell to the ground and shattered.

"Miss Gu, I've entered the wrong room—"

"Get out!"

Qin Hao darted into the corridor and slammed the door shut.

From the other side of the door, came Gu Zhaoning's frantic panting.

"Qin Hao! You—how much did you see?!"

"...I didn't see it clearly."

"fart!"

Qin Hao leaned against the corridor wall and rubbed his temples.

There was silence inside the door for a few seconds, then Gu Zhaoning's voice rang out again, filled with suppressed anger.

"Listen to me carefully. What happened today will remain a secret. Don't dare utter a single word about it—"

"I won't say."

"Also, you need to apologize to me."

"I'm sorry, I came looking for my second sister-in-law, I didn't know you were inside."

There was a silence for several more seconds.

"...You can leave now."

Qin Hao straightened up, turned around, and walked forward along the corridor.

Inside the door, Gu Zhaoning sat on the edge of the bed, wrapped tightly in a bath towel, her heart pounding.

Amidst her embarrassment and anger, another image flashed through her mind—

The movement Qin Hao made when he dodged the table lamp just now.

too fast.

Ordinary people simply cannot have that kind of reaction speed.

And his back view...

Gu Zhaoning's fingers gripped the corner of the blanket tightly.

The silhouette as he turned away, the aura he exuded unintentionally—and the silhouette from behind in the video she saw at the banquet six months ago…

No.

impossible.

She shook her head vigorously, trying to banish the absurd idea.

But I just couldn't calm my heartbeat.

……

On the other side, Qin Hao arrived at Shen Youchu's room door—this time he confirmed the room number and knocked twice.

"Who?"

"I've come to apologize."

The door opened a crack.

Shen Youchu changed into her pajamas, her hair loose, and tilted her head to look at him.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"Your attitude was bad today, and I've been out of contact for so long, I'm sorry to have worried you."

Shen Youchu sized him up twice.

"Good to know."

She raised her hand and pushed him in the chest... not with much force.

"Go to sleep, you have things to do tomorrow."

"Okay. Goodnight, Second Sister-in-law."

"Good night."

The door closed.

Qin Hao turned around and went back to his room, took a shower, and lay down on the bed.

He went through the day's events in his mind—Zhao Shipeng, the White Wolf Society, and the betrothal gifts to be sent out tomorrow.

Things that need to be done should be done one at a time.

……

The next morning at 8:30.

The headquarters building of the Lin Group.

The two girls at the front desk were whispering behind the counter.

"Have you heard? The Third Miss officially took office as General Manager today!"

"Which third young lady?"

"Lin Chu-tang! The one who was disfigured before... I heard her face is almost healed, it's practically a medical miracle!"

"Really? I saw her wearing a veil last month."

"Didn't you hear about what happened at the Pearl Hotel last night? Yu Zhendong said in front of two hundred people that he only recognized her, and he even slapped Lin Siqi—"

"Shh! They're here!"

The elevator doors opened.

Lin Chutang came out.

She wore a smart black suit skirt, her long hair was pulled back, and she had no veil on her face.

The face, which had recovered most of its shape, was exposed under the lights of the hall. It was fair and delicate, with features that were unbelievably exquisite.

The two girls at the front desk were stunned.

"This...this is the Third Miss?"

"Oh my god...it's so beautiful..."

Lin Chutang nodded to them, walked steadily across the lobby, and headed towards the elevator.

27th floor, General Manager's office.

Lin Chutang pushed open the door, stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the bustling traffic below.

Six months ago, she was still the lowly, marginalized daughter of the Lin family.

Now, she's standing here.

She took out her phone and sent a message to Qin Hao.

I've arrived at the company. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to stand here.

The reply was very quick.

You're welcome. By the way, I have a surprise for the company today, don't be startled.

surprise?

Just as Lin Chutang was about to ask further questions, there was a knock on the office door.

"President Lin."

Secretary Zheng Xiaoman pushed open the door and came in. She was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with neat short hair, and was carrying a stack of documents.

"The executive meeting at 9:30 is ready. The meeting room is in Area A, and I've placed the relevant materials on your desk."

"Okay, thank you, Xiaoman."

"Also—" Zheng Xiaoman hesitated for a moment, "There's something... I'm not sure if I should tell you now."

"explain."

"The security guards just reported that a car was parked downstairs, and the people in it said they wanted to deliver something to you. But the scale of their arrival... was a bit excessive. The security guards are hesitant to make a decision and are waiting for your instructions."

Lin Chutang was stunned for a moment.

I remembered Qin Hao's message—"There's a surprise today."

"Let them come up."

Zheng Xiaoman responded and quickly went out.

At 9:30, the executive meeting will be held.

Lin Chutang sat in the main seat, with the Aozhu project information spread out in front of her.

There were more than a dozen people in the conference room, all of whom were heads of various departments.

"Everyone, starting today, I will personally be in charge of the Aozhu project. Haofan Group has confirmed that all documents, approvals, and signatures will be handled through me. If you have any questions, please raise them now."

The meeting room was silent for two seconds.

CFO Zhang Haiming was the first to speak: "President Lin, the initial deposit of 80 million yuan for the project has been received. I have checked the subsequent disbursement schedules, and there are no problems."

Marketing manager Li Qian then raised her hand: "President Lin, we've already prepared three versions of the brand exposure plan for the Aozhu project. When would you like to review them?"

"Send it to my email, I'll take a look first."

"OK."

Everything went more smoothly than expected.

These department heads either witnessed the spectacle firsthand at the Pearl Hotel last night, or they heard the news this morning.

Haofan Group only recognizes Lin Chutang.

This one sentence carries more weight than any job announcement.

Lin Siqi sat motionless in the corner.

She wore heavy makeup today to cover up the swelling on her face.

However, the unnatural protrusion of the cheekbones on both sides could not be hidden.

She stared at Lin Chutang in the main seat, her fingernails digging into the pen cap.

That spot should have been hers.

The meeting lasted for twenty minutes and then ended.

The heads of each department filed out, and no one greeted Lin Siqi as they passed by.

Yesterday, these people were still calling her "General Manager Lin".

Today, not a single word was said.

Lin Siqi gritted her teeth and followed the crowd out of the conference room.

……

After the meeting, Lin Chutang had just returned to her office and sat down when Zheng Xiaoman knocked on the door again.

"Mr. Lin, the people downstairs are coming up."

"Please come in."

The door opened, and two young men in suits entered, each carrying a gold-embossed tray.

Four more followed behind, carrying two mahogany boxes.

The leader bowed slightly to Lin Chutang.

"Mrs. Lin, these are the betrothal gifts that our chairman instructed us to send. Please take a look."

He pulled a gold-embossed list from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and handed it to him with both hands.

Lin Chutang took it and opened it—

First line: A set of South African emerald necklaces, valued at 38 million.

Second row: A garden villa in Longhai Peninsula (already transferred), market value 210 million.

The third line: A limited edition Maybach with a special license plate, worth 16 million.

Fourth line: A pair of Burmese jadeite bangles, which sold for 80 million at auction.