"I missed grandpa very much." She pursed her cute pink lips and kissed Lin Zhou on the cheek.

Lin Zhou's heart flooded with happiness.

Little Jia proceeded to hug her aunt as well before letting Xia Rou help her onto the seat beside her own.

After the meal, Lin Lihua was spending the night in the Lin residence.

Although Wan Jia's and Little Jia's rooms had already been prepared after the last time she was here, Lu Aotian still wanted to go back.

Xia Rou didn't have anything to say about that. The Lin residence wasn't that far away from Southside Villas anyway. She would still spend time with her daughter since she was now working for MAX studio. As for Little Jia, she would find time to go and visit her.

"You girls should be careful and not go anywhere on your own. Don't get yourselves kidnapped again." Xia Rou said to her daughters.

Wan Jia was confused while Lin Lihua slapped her forehead. Did her mother have to bring that up? She had not told Lin Zhou about it because she didn't want him to worry about her.

"Again?" Lin Zhou glanced at Lin Lihua and Wan Jia.

Ignoring her eldest daughter's pleading look, she said, "You don't know yet? Our Lihua was almost kidnapped today. It was just lucky that she knows a move or two. If not, I don't want to think about what would happen. We should really find ways to increase our daughters' security."

Lin Zhou remained silent, probably considering this matter. Though Wan Jia didn't need his protection.

Lu Aotian finally spoke up. "I'll take care of my princesses. Sister-in-law, can you spare a minute?"

Lin Lihua had never got accustomed to being called 'sister-in-law' by such a man as Lu Aotian, so she remained in a daze for a moment before snapping out of it. "Okay, we can talk in the study."

Wan Jia looked at them curiously. Aside from Lu Enterprises' project that was being done in collaboration with Lin Industries, those two didn't have anything in common. But, she didn't ask anything. If it was meant for her ears, she would hear it from her husband later.

Since she hadn't eaten much at dinner, Little Jia was eating dessert specially prepared for her by her grandmother. Happiness was written all over her face as she munched on it like a squirrel and made one speechless.

...

In the study.

Lin Lihua was curious too. "Is this about the project?"

"The kidnapping." Lu Aotian said two words.

Lin Lihua understood. She spoke of everything she had gathered. "That person must have been following me for quite some time for them to know when I went out without bodyguards. They had multiple plans up their sleeves; coercion, force...obviously they were not sure that they would get me.

The mastermind has to be someone whose power doesn't match up to mine so he can only use wits, and is bad at that too."

Lu Aotian had already got an answer. When he heard that Lin Lihua was kidnapped just now, he made a guess, and Lin Lihua's explation confirmed by at least eighty percent that he was right.

"I'll send bodyguards to protect you." He suddenly said.

Lin Lihua thought she was hearing things. "Thanks, but I have my own bodyguards. Why would you protect me anyway?" Even if a man had to protect her, it had to be her man, right?

Lu Aotian didn't answer her. He just walked out. What would she gain if she explained it to her? This kidnapping was more or less unrelated to her. "Just take care."

He would still send bodyguards. He didn't want Henry Blanc blaming him for making his woman a target.

Behind him, Lin Lihua frowned. Tsk, do you have to look like you were losing out by speaking to me? My little sister's taste is rather unique.

...

At home, Lu Aotian didn't hide anything from his wife. "She was kidnapped to target us."

"What do you mean?" What was the relationship? Wasn't it weird for someone unrelated to be kidnapped because of him? No matter how you looked at it, Lin Lihua was just a sister-in-law to him.

"Powerless people always try to sow discord." He explained. "Lin Lihua is your sister as well as Henry's fiancée. If I was asked for a ransom that I can't give, something like giving up the company and anything happened to Lin Lihua, both Henry and you will blame me at some point."

If he put it that way, she thought it made sense.

Although such an instance wouldn't be Lu Aotian's fault, she couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't blame him in her anguish.

She knew that he cared about her happiness more than anything else, but such a situation might make her think for a second that it was because Lin Lihua didn't matter to him that he let it happen.

Wan Jia scratched her head. "Someone's giving Yun Jifeng ideas. He wouldn't come up with something of this sort."

"How do you know so much about Yun Jifeng?" Lu Aotian gave her a serious look and asked, to which she rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you're jealous of this too? I stayed with that man under the same roof for many months. If he was this scheming, he would be at least twice as powerful as he is."

Lu Aotian of course knew this. "The person telling him what to do isn't powerful either."

"You know them?"

"Whatever it is, those two presumptuous fools should enjoy their last days on earth. Just a few days. I have already filed a law suit against the old fool."

"What about the younger fool? If he's free, won't he defend his father?"

"That's the point. Let him defend his father as much as he can and get himself tangled. Then I will crush him into a rubble."

Their end was basically just a fortnight away.