Chapter 43: Assassination? A Backhand Operation!
"Brother Shen... don't abandon Linlin, okay...?"
Jiang Linlin looked up from the table, her hands clutching her wine glass so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her beautiful eyes were wet, gazing at Shen Anyu with a mixture of fear and desperate bravery.
She no longer wanted to think about how many women Brother Shen had. She was burying her head in the sand like an ostrich, unwilling to acknowledge anything from the outside world that might shatter her fragile happiness.
No matter what, she didn't want to leave Brother Shen. Just the thought of a life without him—without his protection, his warmth, his smile—made her feel suffocated and heartbroken, as if the air had been sucked out of the room.
Shen Anyu smiled, his expression tender. He reached out and stroked her cheek. "Linlin, don't be silly. How could I abandon you? You're so well-behaved and so beautiful! I will never let you go."
Jiang Linlin was immediately overjoyed, her face lighting up like a flower blooming in the sun.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Just as the two were professing their feelings, a series of rhythmic footsteps approached their private table.
It was an unremarkable waiter, carrying a silver tray with one hand. On it sat a bottle of expensive red wine and two crystal glasses. He approached with a fawning, ingratiating smile, his head bowed low.
Aunt Xiao, Shen Anyu's bodyguard captain who was standing in the shadows, appeared in a flash. Her face was cold, her eyes sharp as hawks. She glared at the waiter, lowering her voice to a dangerous hiss:
"Don't you understand the rules? The Riverside Restaurant has already been booked by our Young Master. We told you not to let anyone from your restaurant disturb us! Leave!"
The waiter, however, didn't back down. He bowed and scraped, looking terrified but insistent. "Madam, please forgive me! Our boss knows there are esteemed guests, so he ordered me to send over this bottle of 30-year-old Romanée-Conti red wine for the esteemed guests to taste! It is a gift!"
"Once delivered, I'll leave immediately! Absolutely no disturbance to the esteemed guests! Please, or I will lose my job!"
Shen Anyu looked at the unremarkable waiter with a half-smile, raising an eyebrow. He swirled his own glass, his gaze piercing.
"Aunt Xiao," he said leisurely, "let him come over. Don't make things difficult for a small waiter. It's just wine."
"Yes, Young Master!"
Aunt Xiao unconditionally obeyed Shen Anyu's command. She stepped aside immediately, bowing and clearing the path, though her hand remained near her hidden weapon.
The waiter, with a fawning, ingratiating smile, bowed and scraped to Shen Anyu. "Your benevolence, esteemed one! This humble one is infinitely grateful!"
After speaking, he tiptoed over. He placed the red wine and glasses on the table with practiced ease, uncorked the bottle with a soft pop, and began to pour the wine.
Jiang Linlin also raised her head curiously, watching the blood-like red wine make a trickling sound as it poured into the crystal glass, crimson as fresh blood.
Shen Anyu didn't even look at the waiter beside him. He smiled as he introduced the wine to Jiang Linlin, his voice smooth. "This red wine is quite good, much better than any '82 Lafite. It has a history."
"Linlin, let's taste it together. A slight tipsiness makes the night even more exciting!"
Jiang Linlin's small face flushed a deep red. She bit her lip, her heart racing at his implication. Just as she was about to speak, she heard a chilling voice, devoid of the waiter's previous servility.
"Unfortunately... you won't live to taste it!"
Before the words finished, the unremarkable waiter next to them suddenly moved.
His left arm, which had been holding the tray, suddenly revealed its true form. It wasn't flesh and blood. It was a prosthetic sheath hiding a two-inch sharp blade.
Click!
The gleaming, razor-sharp blade, sharp enough to cut a hair in mid-air, extended instantly. It was placed directly against Shen Anyu's neck, pressing into the skin.
"Brother Shen..."
Jiang Linlin screamed, her face paling in fright. She stared in horror, unable to imagine such a sudden turn of events.
"Release the Young Master!"
Aunt Xiao and the other bodyguards' expressions changed drastically. They flashed out from the shadows, surrounding the table from all directions in a heartbeat. Their faces were filled with rage and terror as they glared at the waiter, their powerful Aura erupting like a volcano!
If the Young Master was hurt, they would all die!
Shen Anyu's expression remained unchanged. He was still smiling, calm and composed, as if he had anticipated it all along. He didn't even spill his wine.
He said leisurely, "Wei Yun, your disguise and impersonation skills are extraordinary. In such a short time, you even managed to hide a blade in your arm. Is that the Yu Chang Sword? It looks quite good."
The waiter's face twisted, peeling away the mask of servitude. It was Wei Yun.
"Hmph! Shen, you profligate Young Master, you certainly have guts. Aren't you afraid?"
Wei Yun looked at Shen Anyu in surprise. Most men would be begging for their lives with a knife at their throat. But Shen Anyu looked bored.
Then, Wei Yun's gaze softened as he looked at Jiang Linlin, who was trembling in her seat. He declared passionately, his eyes burning with a twisted savior complex:
"Linlin! I will expose this guy's true colors! I will kill this scoundrel who deceived you, and take you far away! We will be happy in the future; I will cherish you..."
"Who wants you to cherish them?! Who wants to be happy with you?!"
After Jiang Linlin reacted, she trembled with anger, glaring furiously at Wei Yun. Tears streamed down her face. "Wei Yun, are you crazy!"
"I already told you! I don't care how many women Brother Shen has! I don't care if he deceives me!"
"No matter how he deceives me, no matter how many women he has, I love him! I'm willing to bear his children, and I'm willing to be with him for life!"
[Ding! Child of Destiny Wei Yun is enraged and trembling! Plundering +9999 Destiny Points!]
"Wei Yun, please let us go! My parents adopted you and were as kind as reborn parents to you. You killed them... and now you want to kill me and my man too?"
"Wei Yun, stop! Please!"
[Ding! Child of Destiny Wei Yun is enraged and trembling! Plundering +9999 Destiny Points!]
At this moment, Wei Yun, a top assassin king who killed without batting an eye, felt his heart shatter. His blade-wielding hand trembled violently. His body grew cold as if falling into an ice cellar.
His eyes were red as he looked at Jiang Linlin, saying heartbrokenly, "Linlin... I've already told you, I will never harm you. I will only expose Shen Anyu's true colors, kill him, and take you far away!"
Jiang Linlin's pure and delicate face, however, was now filled with resolve. Her beautiful eyes, clear as lake water, seemed to have frozen into ice as she looked at Wei Yun.
"If Brother Shen dies... I don't want to live either. Wei Yun, if you kill Brother Shen, then just kill me too!"
Wei Yun was struck by lightning. He stood stunned on the spot, his world collapsing.
A hint of a smile flashed in Shen Anyu's eyes. None of this was unexpected. Jiang Linlin's total favorability was 99. How could Wei Yun's few words shake a bond of life and death?
Besides, Wei Yun had already been slandered and blamed for countless things by Shen Anyu. He was the villain in her story now.
Is that all? Still trying to turn the tables?
Shen Anyu was not in a hurry to resist; instead, he was happy to watch this dramatic scene unfold. He wanted to break Wei Yun completely.
Otherwise, with Shen Anyu's [Grandmaster] strength and [God-Level Steel Body], he would have already taken down Wei Yun the moment he approached.
With the incredibly sharp Yu Chang Sword at his neck, Shen Anyu remained calm and unconcerned, because it simply couldn't break through his defense.
And that wasn't all!
Shen Anyu completely disregarded the sharp blade at his neck. He turned his head, looking at Jiang Linlin with deep affection, and said softly:
"Linlin... I'm sorry. I lied to you."
"Wei Yun won't kill you. He loves you too!"
"I told some lies before because I love you more than my own life! I was jealous!"
"If I die... Wei Yun will probably be killed by my bodyguards too. You must live well on your own. Eat well, sleep well... forget about me."
Jiang Linlin immediately burst into tears, shaking her head violently. She looked at Shen Anyu, trembling.
"I know, Brother Shen, I know!"
"I know you told some lies to get me! I know now that Wei Yun won't kill me to cut off worldly ties!"
"But I don't care! Linlin will never blame Brother Shen!"
"Brother Shen, if you die, Linlin will never live alone! I will follow you!"
[Ding! Detected destined heroine Jiang Linlin's favorability +1! Plundering +3000 Destiny Points!]
[Ding! Detected destined heroine Jiang Linlin's total favorability reached 100! Extra plundering +300,000 Destiny Points!]
At this moment, Jiang Linlin's favorability reached the max level: [Loyal Unto Death]!
Meanwhile, Wei Yun's face was twisted, filled with pain and despair. He watched the woman he loved pledge to die for his enemy.
[Ding! Detected Child of Destiny Wei Yun's only destined heroine Jiang Linlin has been completely conquered! Plundering +300,000 Destiny Points!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Wei Yun's Destiny Value is below 30%! His luck has fallen to a low point, and the probability of killing him has greatly increased!]
At this moment, Wei Yun was completely and utterly desperate. His mind snapped.
He no longer paid attention to Shen Anyu's bodyguards surrounding him from all directions. He no longer cared about escape or Jiang Linlin's safety.
He roared, his eyes rolling back in madness.
The Yu Chang Sword in his hand directly slashed towards Shen Anyu's neck with all his might!
"Shen! I'll kill you!!!"
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