Chapter 10: Forced Kiss

"Where are we going?" Out on the street, Han Ling was being led along and couldn't help but ask.

"We're going to find a hotel for you. Don't go back to that shabby place. That fat woman disgusts me—imagine treating her dog like her own son," Lin Yuan replied, utterly baffled by such behavior.

"But... but I don't have any money..." Han Ling clutched her phone. She had only two hundred yuan left. After paying for a hotel, how could she possibly afford rent? Never mind, he meant well. She'd just go back tomorrow and beg her landlady for forgiveness.

"It's fine. I have money. I promised to pay you back, didn't I?" Lin Yuan was a man of his word—if he said he'd return ten thousand, he would return the full amount.

He led her to the best hotel nearby.

"Give us your finest room!"

"Sir, our best is the presidential suite. The lowest rate is 9,800 a night," the receptionist replied, glancing at Lin Yuan's attire with a flash of contempt in her eyes. Just a laborer pretending to be rich.

But when she saw the lovely, fair-skinned Han Ling by his side, the receptionist understood at once. So, this pauper wanted to play high-end.

"Book it," Lin Yuan said, pulling out his new phone to check the time.

The receptionist's disdain deepened. As expected—still using a domestic phone brand.

She lazily added, "We accept credit cards. We don't support Huaba."

"What's Huaba?" Lin Yuan asked in confusion.

"Lin Yuan, let's not do this," Han Ling protested, realizing this might require borrowing money. She was even more reluctant.

"It's all right. I made a decent sum yesterday." Lin Yuan retrieved a thick stack of cash from his satchel. "Count this for me, would you? My math isn't great—I might make a mistake."

A thick bundle—at least several hundred thousand yuan.

"Wow!" Han Ling was stunned at the sight of so much money.

The receptionist's breath caught. This was no pauper—this was a bona fide nouveau riche!

"Y-yes, of course." The receptionist's hands trembled as she counted out the sum, extracting ten thousand and a two-hundred deposit.

With the room booked, Lin Yuan was about to leave.

Just then, a couple entered, arms entwined, flirting sweetly. Han Ling, uneasy, lowered her gaze. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the couple, and her body shivered as tears welled up instantly.

Suddenly, she grabbed Lin Yuan's hand, dragged him aside, pinned him against the wall, and pressed her lips to his in a fierce kiss.

"Mmm!" Lin Yuan's eyes widened. Was he being kissed against his will? But... she tasted so sweet, so fragrant...

"Brother Ye, your girlfriend's in Haicheng, right? Why aren't you booking a room with her instead of me?" the woman at reception teased as she checked in with her companion.

The man, seeing Lin Yuan being kissed, felt a twinge of envy. This woman had an incredible figure—slender waist, long legs, the perfect curves. Her profile was delicate and fair; she had to be a rare beauty.

"Heh, at best she'll just hold my hand," the man said, suspicion flickering in his eyes. Why did this woman look so much like his own girlfriend?

"Seriously? After a year together you two have only held hands?" the woman mocked.

"She's more reserved," the man replied, looking away as he took the room key and walked toward the elevator with the woman.

They brushed right past Han Ling.

As their footsteps faded, tears streaked down Han Ling's cheeks, mingling with the kiss. Lin Yuan tasted the bitterness in her tears—the bitterness in her heart.

When the couple entered the elevator, Han Ling finally let him go.

"Sorry, I lost control," she said, crying.

"Was that man your boyfriend?" Lin Yuan guessed.

"Yes. I never imagined he'd betray me. He promised he wouldn't touch me until we were married..." Han Ling was furious. Since he didn't cherish her, she decided to give away her first kiss.

From now on, you'll never get anything from me!

"Don't be sad. He's not worth it."

"I know," she whispered.

"I'll be going then," Lin Yuan said, eager to get some sleep—it was nearly midnight.

"All right." Han Ling, a touch reluctant, bit her lip and, bracing herself, said, "That... that was my first kiss."

Lin Yuan froze.

Han Ling bowed her head and hurried into the elevator.

"My first kiss... exchanged with my senior. But her lips were lovely too—soft, pink, white teeth, sweet as honey..." Lin Yuan was secretly delighted.

He left the hotel and soon disappeared into the night.

"Move in," a man in a baseball cap said quietly into his phone.

Outside, the door of a van slid open and a group of men poured out.

"Lin Yuan..." Han Ling rushed out in a panic, only to see Lin Yuan was gone. She was a bit disappointed.

"I forgot to ask for his number!"

"Will I ever see him again?"

"Hey pretty, wanna hang out?" A group of burly men quickly surrounded her.

Like a pack of wolves circling a lamb, they closed in on her.

"What... what do you want?" Han Ling trembled with fear.

"Nothing much. Just want you to come with us," the leader said coldly.

"Get away, don't touch me…"

Faced with all those reaching hands, she was terrified, desperate, and had nowhere to run.

"You again!" Lin Yuan's voice suddenly rang out.

"Lin Yuan!" Seeing him return, Han Ling was overjoyed.

"You didn't leave, kid?" The thugs were shocked to see Lin Yuan back.

"I forgot to pay, and picked up some supper. Didn't expect to see you lot again. Looks like that Tiger Boss of yours hasn't learned his lesson," Lin Yuan sneered.

"What do you want?" The thugs shivered at his words. How could a fresh-faced youth be so terrifying when he smiled?

"You lot really like getting handsy, huh?" Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes and moved in a flash.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

"Argh!!!"

"Ah!!!"

The sound of bones breaking and screams echoed almost simultaneously.

"Spare us!"

"We were wrong, we were wrong..."

"No, please... ah!!!"

In Han Ling's stunned gaze, Lin Yuan felled the big, burly thugs in an instant, breaking their arms and legs one by one.

"He... did this for me..." Han Ling was deeply moved, her bright eyes brimming with tears as she stared at him in awe.

"Haven't practiced bone-setting in a while," Lin Yuan remarked, then snapped a leg bone.

Crack!

Then set it again.

Crack!

"Argh!!!" The thug screamed in agony, face white with terror, muttering, "Demon, you're a demon!"

Far away, in a black sedan.

"Miss, this man... is something else. To break bones with sheer strength—ordinary people couldn't do that," analyzed two women in leather jackets, guarding the woman seated between them.

The woman’s eyes sparkled with charm as she stared intently at Lin Yuan.

"Mm, what an impressive young man," she said with a sweet smile, stepping out of the car and walking toward Lin Yuan, her two bodyguards flanking her with caution.

Lin Yuan was still practicing his bone-setting.

"Young man, you seem to have a real thing for legs."