Chapter 76: Are You Imprisoning a Young Maiden?

In the corridor, the door at the far end was gently opened, and Yan He was the first to step out. She had been worrying in the room for quite some time; the noise in the living room made it impossible to settle down. So, when she heard Luo Chen calling out, she immediately opened the door and came out.

“Luo Chen, is everything settled now? And these two are…?” she asked, puzzled by the presence of unfamiliar faces in the otherwise empty living room, apart from Luo Chen, Han Yinglan, and Zhao Hong.

Though Yan He had received information from Luo Tianyi about the contract last time, she’d never actually met any of these executives. Seeing the formally dressed Han Yinglan and the others, she assumed the situation was unresolved.

“Yes, those people have all left. These two are Stardust Platform executives; they’re here to sign a contract with me,” Luo Chen explained, noticing the trace of wariness in Yan He’s eyes, eager to avoid any misunderstanding.

But Han Yinglan had no mind to concern herself with such things; her eyes were fixed in shock on the other girls emerging from the room—wasn’t that her own daughter?

Noticing his colleague’s odd reaction, Zhao Hong turned to look as well. Three beautiful girls walked out together from the small room, nearly startling him into thinking—could this boy possibly be hiding girls here? Of course, a moment’s thought dismissed such a ridiculous idea; no one would be so brazen. Still, it only made him respect Luo Chen more—he was truly impressive.

“What’s wrong, Supervisor Han?” Zhao Hong, returning to himself, was about to make a lighthearted remark when he noticed his colleague and one of the girls exchanging glances, both of them freezing on the spot.

“Xinhua, what are you doing here?”

“Mom, what are you doing here?”

Dai Xinhua, who had just stepped out, caught sight of her mother and panicked, instinctively wanting to retreat into the room. But her legs, weak with fright, wouldn’t obey, and so she stood awkwardly, awaiting her mother’s judgment.

Han Yinglan had still harbored a faint hope—could it be someone with the same name?—but that hope was dashed the moment she saw her daughter. Fury welled up inside her. How could her usually obedient daughter end up in an unfamiliar boy’s home? Hadn’t she said this morning that she was going to paint with Le Zheng Ling?

Speaking of Le Zheng Ling, Han Yinglan now noticed that the young miss of the Le Zheng family was here as well, looking somewhat embarrassed. Was this a conspiracy to keep her, their mother, in the dark?

“What is going on here?” Han Yinglan no longer cared about contracts or work. With her daughter nearly being led astray, how could she think about anything else? If not for the presence of several other girls, she might well have rushed at Luo Chen in a rage.

The surprise wasn’t limited to mother and daughter—Luo Chen himself never expected such a coincidence. He’d practically coerced the girl into coming here as unpaid labor. Now, it felt as though he’d just been caught bullying a young girl by her parent.

Luckily, Han Yinglan still had enough sense not to let her anger take over completely. Luo Chen managed a wry smile and briefly recounted the events leading up to this moment. Naturally, he omitted certain details—such as Dai Xinhua drawing questionable material, or his own role in conscripting her as free labor.

“So you’re saying my daughter’s only here to help you draw? And that help now extends to your home? Do you expect me to believe that?” After hearing Luo Chen’s sanitized account, Han Yinglan rose, agitated, and questioned him. Would any mother accept that her well-behaved daughter would go to a strange boy’s house just to help out? With no adults at home, just a single boy—what if something happened? Even rumors alone would be damaging.

Luo Chen felt helpless; he’d relied on a mix of threats and Xinhua’s own guilty conscience to muddle her into coming over. He couldn’t possibly tell her mother that her daughter was here because she’d done something wrong and was now atoning as unpaid help. If he even tried to say that, her mother might well attack him with a knife.

Seeing Luo Chen hesitating and unable to explain, Han Yinglan sneered and prepared to press further. Unless she got to the bottom of this, she wasn’t about to let it go.

“Mom, stop asking. I came here because I wanted to. Even if I stayed home, no one would be there. I just… wanted to draw, that’s all. Besides, isn’t Ling here too?” Dai Xinhua spoke softly, head slightly raised, before her mother could speak again. She understood her mother’s worries and the hardship she endured, but compared to that empty house, she preferred being here.

Here, she had her best friend Ling, little angel Yan He, Luo Tianyi who loved looking at her drawings, and Luo Chen, who needed her help. The relaxed, joyful atmosphere was exactly what she’d always longed for. These were her friends, so she was willing to keep it from her mother to be here.

Han Yinglan opened her mouth to retort, but in the end, only sat back down in exhaustion. Ever since becoming an executive at Stardust Platform, she’d grown busier than ever, especially with the recent government crackdowns requiring endless overtime. She barely had any time for her daughter anymore—a source of constant guilt.

That was why she worried so much about Xinhua falling astray or being bullied. But seeing her daughter’s expression, she knew she’d come here willingly. For a moment, Han Yinglan was at a loss for words.

In the midst of this awkward tension, only Zhao Hong seemed to be enjoying the unfolding drama. He hadn’t expected things to turn out this way, but it was clear that Luo Chen wasn’t some villain imprisoning girls. To have such a pretty girl willingly staying in his home—Zhao Hong was impressed.

Still, spectating was one thing, work was another. If this melodramatic family scene dragged on, nothing would get done today.

“Supervisor Han, these matters can’t be solved in a moment. Shall we handle the main business first? We can discuss family affairs after we finish signing the contract,” Zhao Hong said, unwilling to let private matters interfere with business. He felt a little bad for his colleague, but work had to come first.

Special thanks to the reader “Low-Key and Confident Brother” for the generous reward of 1,000 Starting Points coins; thanks also to “Summer Festival, Dream Fireworks,” “Drunken Moon Remnants,” for rewarding 500 coins, to “I Am the New Generation of Model Youth” for 200 coins, and to readers “160125150426207,” “Eight Clouds’ Ink,” “No Self in My Dreams,” “Wandering Demon Passerby,” “So Lonely With You,” and “Ordinary and Simple 123” for 100 coins each.