"Alice, you’re back." The old butler, who was sitting in a wicker chair, stood up to greet the blonde woman as she entered the courtyard. As the daughter of his former employer, he should have addressed her as "Miss," but with the change in ownership, he called her by name out of respect for Su Xuan. "Uncle Liu, this place no longer belongs to me," Alice said. "You don’t have to wait up for me anymore." The blonde woman was of mixed Chinese and Western descent, and she was strikingly beautiful. Her golden hair swayed gently in the night breeze, and her blue eyes sparkled like sapphires, casting an enchanting glow. Her delicate, thin lips, high-bridged nose, and sharp chin looked as if they had been finely sculpted by the Creator himself, captivating anyone who laid eyes on her. Her model-like figure, with its perfect golden-ratio proportions, was enough to make one drool with desire, inspiring a reckless urge to simply throw oneself at her. Truly, she was a perfect blend of East and West, a beauty without equal. Any man in the world would likely die happy for a chance at a romance with such an outstanding woman. "I wasn’t waiting for you." The white-haired old butler pointed toward the entrance. "Tonight, the new owner had an unpleasant encounter with a group of drunk hooligans. I’m worried they might come back looking for revenge, so I’m standing watch for him." "Hmph, just as I thought. An uncouth playboy!" Alice pursed her small lips. Due to the manor’s acquisition, she had reviewed Su Xuan’s file and seen his photo. She knew he was very young and handsome, but that was the extent of her knowledge. She simply assumed he was the son of some wealthy tycoon. "Alice, we’re living under someone else’s roof now," the old butler advised. "We must watch what we say and do." With that, he closed his eyes in his wicker chair. "Dabai, come here!" Alice ignored the old butler and beckoned to the large dog lying on the lawn. Dabai stretched lazily before trotting over to her side. "Good Dabai, did you miss me?" Alice crouched down, her tall frame folding gracefully, and reached out a delicate hand to stroke Dabai’s head. But a moment later, her fine brows furrowed. In the light from the courtyard lamps, she saw that Dabai’s fur was a mess, and there was a large, distinct footprint on its back! "Uncle Liu, who kicked Dabai?" Alice stood up, her face like ice as she questioned him. With her proud nature, astonishing family background, and uncommon beauty, she had very few friends. She considered Dabai her closest companion; how could she tolerate someone kicking him? The old butler merely pretended to be asleep, ignoring her. "It must have been that damned playboy!" Alice stomped her foot, ready to find Su Xuan and give him a piece of her mind. But as she looked at the countless rooms, she was suddenly at a loss. Which room is Su Xuan staying in? "Uncle Liu, which room is he in?" she asked the butler again. The old butler simply started snoring. I can’t betray the new owner! I’ll lose my job! Fresh chapters posted on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱 "I’ll find him myself!" Alice marched straight to the largest room, which had once belonged to her parents, certain that Su Xuan would have taken the best one for himself. She knocked on the door, but the person who opened it wasn’t Su Xuan. She tried another room. Still not him. After knocking on five or six doors, she still hadn’t found Su Xuan. "This is infuriating!" she fumed, rubbing her forehead in irritation. "What does he think this place is? Why are there so many people living here?!" When she and her parents had lived here, they had barely received a handful of visitors in a year. The few guests who did come would only stay for a moment before leaving, not even finishing a cup of tea. Now, Su Xuan had turned the place into some kind of free hostel. Alice continued knocking on doors. The old butler cracked an eye open, peeking at the relentlessly knocking Alice and muttering to himself, "Please don’t find him..." What was Su Xuan doing at this moment? He was busy with two things. "Liu Ming, I have a task for you," he said, lying on a luxurious bed in one of the rooms while on the phone with Liu Ming. "I need you to acquire the bar across the street from 88 Guanhai Street as soon as possible." From his room, he had a clear view of that exact bar through his window. "Boss, the Lycar Hotel has its own bar, and it’s extremely high-end. Do we really need to acquire another one?" Liu Ming, who had just lain down, shot up into a sitting position as soon as he saw the call was from Su Xuan, his tone respectful. Hearing Su Xuan use his first name made him ecstatic. He’s finally not calling me Manager Liu so coldly! My relationship with the boss has taken another step forward! "88 Guanhai Street is my home now," Su Xuan explained. "I don’t want people sitting on that bar’s open-air balcony, freely gawking at my property. It would even be inconvenient to sunbathe!" He wasn’t joking. The moment he saw the beautiful courtyard, he’d had the urge to lie naked on the grass and soak up the sun. The rockeries, the pond with its swimming fish, Dabai... surrounded by several ancient trees, sunbathing there would be the definition of comfort. It reminded him of the poem by Tao Yuanming: *I build my hut in a world of men,* *Yet hear no clamor of horse and cart.* *You ask how this can be so?* *A heart that is distant creates its own solitude.* This new house was his personal paradise, a wonderful sanctuary to escape the mundane world. How could he let it be disturbed by prying eyes? "Boss, you bought a mansion on Guanhai Street?" Liu Ming was floored. "You are... seriously badass plus! Can I come over and take a look sometime?" As a senior executive at Lycar, Liu Ming was no ordinary man. He understood the prestige of a Guanhai Street property. Every mansion there was astronomically expensive and essentially off-market. For Su Xuan to acquire one was an unbelievably incredible feat. He quickly searched for "88 Guanhai Street" on his phone. It was the legendary State Champion’s Mansion! He couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. "You can come by anytime," Su Xuan said casually. "Just don’t forget the task I gave you." With that, he hung up. All desire for sleep had vanished from Liu Ming. Seeing it wasn’t even two in the morning, he hurriedly dressed and drove toward the bar Su Xuan had mentioned. The bar would be open until four or five, so he was confident he could get it done for his boss that very night. That was the first matter. Su Xuan immediately moved on to the second. "Brother Cen, your little brother ran into a bit of trouble tonight..." Su Xuan then called Cen Haonan, the owner of Jenny’s Bar. From the moment he’d seen Cen Haonan’s tattoos that night, he knew the man was no simple character and had likely been involved in the criminal underworld. He was calling Cen Haonan because he was worried that the hooligans from earlier wouldn’t just give up and would be looking for a chance to get revenge. It’s not a single act of theft you fear, but being constantly watched. This was his home, and annoying, buzzing flies had to be swatted away. Over the phone, he briefly recounted the night’s events to Cen Haonan. He also sent a red envelope with 100,000 yuan, telling him to use it to buy cigarettes for his men. Cen Haonan didn’t accept the money but was pleased that Su Xuan remembered him. Besides, as it happened, he had a favor to ask of Su Xuan in a few days anyway. He gladly agreed and immediately summoned his right-hand man to issue an order. "Heizi, get over to Guanhai Street right now and find those morons!" he commanded. "Chase every last one of them away! If any of them refuse to listen, chop off their dicks!"