Chapter 106: We Meet Again

That evening, Lin Guodong brought Lin Aoxue a pure white chiffon dress.

Lin Aoxue took one look at the deep V-neckline and open back and frowned.

"Dad, isn’t this a little too revealing?"

"What’s there to worry about? You have a great figure — of course you should show it off."

Such a fuss over nothing, Lin Guodong muttered to himself.

He had handpicked this gown for a reason — to have Lin Aoxue use her looks to seduce Xiao Ran and keep him hooked.

"I’d rather wear something else. It’s just dinner. There’s no need to dress like this."

Lin Aoxue instinctively recoiled from anything so revealing, even though she had worn form-fitting gowns to balls and events before.

But tonight was different. The last thing she wanted was to dress up for Xiao Ran.

"There’s no time for that — just go change. Don’t keep Young Master Xiao waiting. If you piss him off, the entire Lin Family is finished!"

Lin Guodong’s patience ran out. He shot Lin Aoxue an irritated glare and hurried her along.

She had no choice. In the end, Lin Aoxue put the gown on.

The moment she came downstairs, both Lin Jiaxing and Lin Yexing went slack-jawed.

They stared shamelessly at her chest, and the naked hunger in their eyes made Lin Aoxue deeply uncomfortable.

"Damn, Cousin, you look absolutely sexy tonight."

Lin Jiaxing licked his lips, struggling to suppress the heat stirring inside him, his eyes brimming with lust.

After what had happened at the last dinner, Lin Aoxue had learned to keep her guard up around the two brothers.

She raised a hand to cover her neckline, fixed them both with a cold stare, and snapped.

"Get out of my way."

"Cousin, can that useless piece of trash Ye Xuan really satisfy you? I’ve always heard that women with big chests have strong appetites."

"If you ever get lonely in the middle of the night, come find me. I’ll keep you company — I guarantee I’m way better than that worthless Ye Xuan."

Lin Yexing leaned in toward Lin Aoxue with a blissed-out expression and took a long, deliberate sniff. The words that came out of his mouth made her stomach turn.

"Get the hell away from me!"

Lin Aoxue couldn’t stand being near them for another second. She shoved them both hard and bolted out of the room.

"Damn, acting all high and mighty — she’s already been played with by that trash Ye Xuan, but she won’t let us touch her."

Lin Jiaxing watched Lin Aoxue flee and muttered under his breath, his face twisted with resentment.

"What if we try something sneaky? I got my hands on something good recently. Even if we sleep with her, she won’t remember a thing the next morning."

Lin Yexing’s eyes gleamed with greed as a vile idea took root and grew wild in his mind.

The two brothers had been lusting after Lin Aoxue for a long time, but a sense of moral restraint had always held them back from crossing that line.

But ever since Lin Aoxue married that worthless Ye Xuan and slept with him, Lin Jiaxing and Lin Yexing had grown bolder and more shameless by the day.

The way they saw it, if she could accept a loser like Ye Xuan in her bed, sleeping with the two of them was no big deal.

Lin Aoxue, already long gone, had no idea what the two brothers were scheming. All she wanted was to get through dinner as quickly as possible and cut all ties with Xiao Ran.

Tonight’s dinner had been arranged by Yang Jie aboard a luxury cruise liner.

For one thing, it made it nearly impossible for Lin Aoxue to run away again.

For another, this was the Yang Family’s private vessel — even if Ye Xuan wanted to come to her rescue, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

"The Yang Family never disappoints. This cruise liner is something else."

Lin Guodong gazed at the magnificent ship with undisguised envy, unable to stop himself from gushing.

Everyone aboard was either filthy rich or wielded serious power.

Even within the Lin Family, only Mrs. Lin had ever had the privilege of setting foot on it — and just once.

A single ticket alone cost five million.

On top of that, it operated on a membership basis, with annual dues running as high as ten million per person.

The Lin Family might have had assets worth hundreds of millions, but they couldn’t spare that kind of money just for a membership.

Lin Aoxue, by contrast, was far less impressed than her father.

She didn’t find the ship particularly grand at all. The only thing on her mind was getting through the meal and leaving as soon as possible.

She had zero desire to spend a single extra second looking at Yang Jie or Xiao Ran.

"Uncle Lin, you’re here! Right this way, right this way."

Yang Jie had been waiting at the entrance well in advance. The moment he spotted the father and daughter, he strode forward to greet them warmly.

Lin Guodong shook Yang Jie’s hand with a flattered, almost overwhelmed smile spread across his face.

"Eldest Young Master Yang, has Young Master Xiao arrived yet?"

Lin Guodong asked carefully, watching Yang Jie’s expression.

"Young Master Xiao is already inside waiting. Shall we head in?"

Yang Jie spoke while letting his gaze roam over Lin Aoxue.

He had to admit — this woman was genuinely stunning.

Even Yang Jie, who had been with more women than he could count, felt his mouth go dry.

If Xiao Ran hadn’t already set his sights on Lin Aoxue, he would have tried to get her into his own bed.

Sensing Yang Jie’s predatory gaze, Lin Aoxue furrowed her brow.

She pulled the shawl around her shoulders a little tighter.

She had specifically chosen a shawl that matched the dress, hoping to cover herself up a bit more.

Even so, she had drawn the stares of countless men along the way.

Before long, Yang Jie led them to the most lavish suite on the entire cruise liner.

Xiao Ran was lounging on a sofa, enjoying the attentions of several waiting maids.

The moment she saw him, Lin Aoxue’s body tensed up, and the events of the previous night flooded back into her mind.

Every instinct told her to turn around and walk straight out.

Lin Guodong caught the resistance in her expression and grabbed her hand, making sure she had no chance to bolt.

"Young Master Xiao, they’re here."

Yang Jie addressed Xiao Ran with complete deference.

At his words, Xiao Ran slowly opened his eyes and cast a brief glance over Lin Guodong and Lin Aoxue.

His gaze lingered on Lin Guodong for barely a second before sliding over to Lin Aoxue, where it stayed, bold and unhurried.

The scrutiny made Lin Aoxue deeply uneasy. She instinctively shrank back behind Lin Guodong, trying to avoid Xiao Ran’s eyes.

"Uncle Lin, a pleasure to meet you. My name is Xiao Ran."

Xiao Ran flashed Lin Aoxue a wolfish smile, then rose from the sofa and walked over to Lin Guodong, extending his left hand.

"Young Master Xiao, the pleasure is mine. I’m Lin Guodong — Xue’er’s father."

Lin Guodong clasped Xiao Ran’s hand with nervous reverence, his face lit up with barely contained excitement as he introduced himself.

"Xue’er, we meet again."

After exchanging only the briefest pleasantries with Lin Guodong, Xiao Ran turned his attention back to Lin Aoxue.

He extended his left hand toward her, but she was clearly reluctant — she couldn’t even bring herself to look at him.

Lin Guodong caught this and gave her arm a sharp tug, shooting her a fierce warning look.

"Hello."

Left with no other option, Lin Aoxue stiffly took Xiao Ran’s hand and offered a clipped greeting.