However, he still wanted to see what the system rewards were.
Suppressing the thoughts in his heart, Jiang Cheng turned his head to look at Wang Sheng.
He knew Wang Sheng too well; he looked big, clumsy, and straightforward, but in reality, he was the most easily moved and the most loyal.
The corners of Jiang Cheng's mouth curled up slightly.
"Xia Li's situation is indeed pitiful, betrayed by her own people and living in hatred for so many years. I'm helping her, firstly because I pity her, and secondly, because of you guys. You've followed me for so long, don't you know my character? You two are my personal bodyguards, risking your lives for me daily, blocking trouble and keeping me safe. Since you protect my safety, I naturally have to protect you. If you follow me sincerely, I won't mistreat you. Your business is my business."
As soon as he said this, Wang Sheng's eyes instantly turned red.
His eyes were bloodshot and his nose felt sore, but he forced himself not to let the tears fall.
His voice was a bit choked, but incredibly firm: "Thank you, Young Master Jiang! In this life, I, Wang Sheng, have committed myself to you! From now on, whether it's climbing a mountain of blades or jumping into a sea of fire, I will follow you and never regret it!"
His clumsy yet stubborn appearance made Jiang Cheng want to laugh.
He waved his hand: "Alright, stop being so emotional. What does a grown man look like with red eyes? Drive back to the hotel first..."
"Yes! Young Master Jiang!" Wang Sheng immediately responded, hurriedly raising his hand to wipe the corners of his eyes. His tone was full of energy, and the reverence and loyalty in his eyes were more intense than ever before.
An Xin took her family's security car all the way to the villa.
Seeing that the lights inside the villa weren't brightly lit, the expression on her face instantly relaxed in relief.
The throbbing in the car just now hadn't faded yet; her whole body was still soft and limp.
Especially her legs, which felt stiff and heavy.
After taking a deep breath, An Xin tidied her hair before opening the car door.
Although the bodyguards who sent her back hadn't seen what happened between her and Jiang Cheng, she still didn't dare to look back after getting out of the car.
She was afraid that eyes would fall upon her from behind.
The embarrassment of fleeing just now flooded her heart, making her both ashamed and annoyed, yet deep down, there was a hidden, indescribable flutter.
Jiang Cheng's kiss, his low and raspy voice, the warmth of his palm—they were like vines wrapping around her heart, impossible to shake off.
Pushing open the villa's main door, An Xin originally wanted to walk quickly to her room.
But after a few steps, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure sitting on the sofa out of the corner of her eye.
An Xin froze, subconsciously tightening her legs again.
She had thought An Jingsheng would have been asleep by this time, but she didn't expect him to be waiting for her.
"Dad, why are you here?"
It was the first time An Jingsheng had seen such panic in his daughter from returning home late.
Usually, it wasn't like she hadn't returned in the middle of the night before, but she was always open and aboveboard about it, never having this expression of being caught red-handed by her own father while out on a date.
Seeing An Xin like this, An Jingsheng felt both gratified and a bit of sorrow that his daughter had grown up and was about to fly far away.
After putting down the teacup in his hand, his gaze fell gently on her.
There was a hint of understanding in his eyes, but he didn't point it out, only speaking softly: "I woke up once and realized you weren't home yet, so I sat here waiting for you."
Hearing this, An Xin's cheeks heated up even more.
Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's buzz, with a trace of imperceptible panic: "I'm fine, Dad. You didn't need to wait for me. It's so late, you should go rest."
An Jingsheng smiled and pointed to the sofa opposite him.
His tone was flat yet carried an undeniable gentleness: "Sit down, what's the rush? Of course I know you're fine. With Jiang Cheng around, what could happen? I still know that kid a bit. Why is your face so red? Sit down and have a cup of tea to sober up..."
As soon as the words "Jiang Cheng" came out, An Xin's face instantly turned bright red.
Even the skin behind her ears was stained crimson.
Obviously, her father had misread the situation this time.
That scoundrel had just pressed his fingers together...
If the security hadn't stepped forward, she didn't know how long she would have been poked...
But honestly, it couldn't be said to be uncomfortable.
There was even a slightly strange feeling...
Thinking of this, An Xin's hands unconsciously twisted together as she sat on the sofa.
However, the moment she sat down, she unnaturally placed her hands on her legs.
Hanging her head, not daring to look An Jingsheng in the eye, she picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip: "I accidentally drank too much tonight."
Seeing her bashful appearance, An Jingsheng didn't tease her further. He shifted the topic slightly, his tone becoming a bit heavier: "You should be clear about what I want to say, right?"
Hearing this, An Xin suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with a bit of confusion and panic.
Waiting for her this late, she naturally knew An Jingsheng wanted to talk about Jiang Cheng.
She looked up at An Jingsheng: "Dad, what do you mean?"
"I told you before, whatever you want, Dad can give you, and I'll support whatever you want to do." An Jingsheng leaned back on the sofa, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest as he spoke slowly, "It's just that before, I didn't know Jiang Cheng's background was so deep. He's even more formidable than I anticipated."
An Xin frowned, a trace of unease rising in her heart, and asked tentatively: "Now that you know, what do you mean? You don't approve of me seeing him?"
Before he could even say anything, An Xin was so eager to voice her thoughts; An Jingsheng sighed helplessly in his heart.
He shook his head and his tone softened: "I've told you many times, I only have you as my daughter. To put it bluntly, if I were to pass away one day, could you hold onto such a large family business?"
Hearing this, An Xin fell silent for a moment.
An Jingsheng sighed: "To be honest, I regret it now. I regret not having another child for you. Although wealthy families aren't necessarily united and prosperous, if I'm gone, with so many assets in our An Family, it's hard to guarantee that the wolves and leopards outside won't target you..."
An Jingsheng's words weren't groundless fears.
Everyone knew that the An Sheng Group in Chengdu was a true local powerhouse.
On the surface, it was a business giant, but in the shadows, both the legal and illegal worlds had to give the An Family some face.
Not just domestically, the An Family had deep roots in Russia. Even old-money aristocrats and local powers there would yield to the An Family.
Such a massive family business and such startling power seemed glorious to outsiders, but to An Jingsheng, it felt like walking on thin ice.
Usually, with him in charge, the various monsters and demons didn't dare to act recklessly.
But once he was gone, those long-dormant wolves and leopards would immediately show their fangs and pounce like mad.
And the most fatal flaw of the An Family was that An Jingsheng only had one daughter, An Xin, in his life.
No sons, no brothers who could stand on their own, no family members to back her up.
The enormous family property would eventually all weigh down on An Xin, a weak woman.
In the eyes of those with wild ambitions, An Xin—who had no mountain to lean on, no backup, yet held immense wealth—was a piece of fat meat delivered right to their mouths.
They would cannibalize the An Sheng Group, seize the An Family's power in Russia, and use every means to swallow everything the An Family owned.
By then, let alone holding onto the family business, it was unknown if An Xin could even survive safely.
This had always been An Jingsheng's concern.
The reason he always wanted to find a man for his daughter who was iron-fisted, responsible, and had potential—even considering the idea of a matrilocal son-in-law—wasn't because he didn't love his daughter, but because he loved her too much.
He was afraid that once he left, his daughter would be alone and helpless, bullied, schemed against, and swallowed whole by this cutthroat world.
What he wanted was never some perfect social match, but someone who, after he was gone, would fight to the death to protect An Xin, steady the situation, and shoulder the burden of the An Family's sky.
An Xin opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back.
She actually always wanted to have a good talk with her father about Jiang Cheng and the internal conflict in her heart.
She liked Jiang Cheng, but she was afraid she didn't carry enough weight in his heart and feared this relationship would have no result.
But the words reached her lips, yet she didn't know how to start, so she could only let the silence spread.
After a moment of silence, An Xin finally changed the subject, looking up at An Jingsheng with a hint of testing in her tone: "Dad, the Russian aristocrats also proposed a marriage alliance. What do you think?"