Chapter 257: The Wife's Submission! The Dragon King Waits Like a Dog!
"Yes, Qingyue... listen to mom."
He Xuemei sat on the luxurious sofa, her eyes gleaming with greed as she looked around the opulent villa.
"Just listen to your mother and be with Young Master Shen. Don't worry about morals or reputation. Power is everything."
"You can divorce Han Qi then. Kick that useless trash out of our lives!"
"..."
Listening to these words, Liu Qingyue felt bitter and helpless. Her heart was cold.
'Are my parents really going to push me into a fire pit by being so obsequious?'
'They don't care about my happiness. They only care about the connection to the Shen Family.'
She looked around the gilded cage of Jiangjing Manor. She didn't even dare to imagine how many women Shen Anyu had. She knew about Liu Mi. She knew about Su Hongmian. And now, herself.
She was just another flower in his garden.
However... Liu Qingyue was now certain about one thing.
She had to divorce Han Qi.
She had to divorce him immediately.
Not only because of what happened with Shen Anyu (the ambiguity of her stay here made her feel unworthy of being a wife), but also because her marriage with Han Qi was built on a foundation of monstrous lies.
"Emperor Capital Han Family's Second Young Master..."
"Dragon King Mr. Han..."
Thinking about the dossier Shen Anyu had shown her—the photos of Han Qi torturing enemies, the bank transfers, the secret orders—Liu Qingyue felt a chill that froze her marrow.
It turned out that the good-for-nothing live-in son-in-law who washed her feet and smiled stupidly... had such a terrifying identity.
He was a demon in human skin.
He was from a super wealthy background, a First-Class Family in Yanxia. It was only due to Family infighting and his biological mother being murdered that he discreetly left for Magic City (Modu).
To avoid further persecution from his ruthless elder brother, Han Xiu, he became a live-in son-in-law.
'He used me.'
'He used my parents.'
'We were his Human Shield.'
"Han Qi... oh Han Qi... your elder brother Han Xiu is so ruthless. You knew he would kill anyone associated with you. Yet you married me."
"Did you ever consider our safety? Did you ever care if we died in the crossfire?"
Liu Qingyue bit her pale lower lip until it turned white. Anger, hotter than she had ever felt, rose in her heart.
According to Shen Anyu's information, Han Xiu was a psychopath who eliminated entire bloodlines to secure his power. If Han Xiu were to make a move, Liu Qingyue and her parents would likely be slaughtered along with Han Qi as collateral damage.
And Han Qi knew this risk. He brought it to their doorstep willingly.
Furthermore... what angered Liu Qingyue even more was the truth about Liu Yuan.
The playboy who had madly pursued her years ago, forcing her into a corner? He was secretly instigated by Han Qi.
Han Qi created the problem so he could be the "solution." He manipulated her trauma to force her into marriage.
Han Qi appeared to be a useless live-in son-in-law on the surface, submissive and kind. But in reality, he was the Underground Emperor of Modu's Dark World—a butcher who would kill at the drop of a hat.
The thought that the man she had slept next to (albeit in separate beds) for several years was so different... so deep in his schemes... made Liu Qingyue feel a terrifying chill.
Her delicate body trembled uncontrollably.
"What should I do now? How do I get rid of Han Qi?"
"If I ask for a divorce... will he kill me? Will he silence the Liu Family to protect his secret?"
Liu Qingyue hugged a throw pillow, her beautiful and exquisite face showing extreme vulnerability. She looked like a piece of delicate porcelain that had been shattered and glued back together, full of a sense of brokenness. Her beautiful eyes were hazy, looking incredibly desolate.
She had no way to escape. The law couldn't protect her from the Dragon King.
"Young Master Shen..."
"Can... can Young Master Shen help me?"
Liu Qingyue suddenly had this thought. It slipped out in a murmur before she could stop it.
But she was startled by herself.
'How can I rely on him?'
'He is a scoundrel too! He took advantage of me! He made me do... those things.'
Although she tried to reject the thought, it had already taken root. In a world of wolves, only a tiger could protect her. Shen Anyu was the only one powerful enough to suppress Han Qi.
"Of course I can help you."
Suddenly, a voice answered her thoughts.
Hearing that magnetic baritone voice—so familiar and terrifying over the past few days—Liu Qingyue's delicate body trembled violently.
She whipped her head around to look at the doorway.
A handsome, jade-like young gentleman was standing there, leaning against the frame. He was smiling at her, his eyes warm and confident.
It was Shen Anyu.
Meeting Shen Anyu's smiling gaze, Liu Qingyue's exquisite and beautiful face immediately flushed slightly. She felt caught.
She quickly lowered her head, not daring to look up.
Shen Anyu walked into the room. His steps were silent on the carpet.
He smiled and said teasingly:
"Don't you welcome me, Qingyue? I came back early just to see you."
"No! It's not..."
Liu Qingyue immediately became flustered. She stood up quickly, smoothing her skirt.
She walked towards him instinctively. But when she got close, she still didn't dare to look him in the eye. The shame of her dependence was too great.
She saw his shoes.
Without thinking, she knelt down.
She picked up the pair of soft velvet slippers placed nearby and set them in front of Shen Anyu.
"Young Master Shen... I... I'll help you change your shoes."
Her voice trembled, yet it was soft and moving. It was the voice of a wife welcoming her husband home.
She had seen the cute little maid (Ruan Lingshan) do this for him before. Since she was staying here... she felt she should do something to earn her keep.
Shen Anyu laughed softly.
He looked down at the woman kneeling at his feet.
Liu Qingyue had been pampered by her parents since childhood. Even Han Qi had been exceptionally protective in domestic matters, never letting her do any housework to maintain his "good husband" image.
Helping a man change shoes was clearly not something she was skilled at. Her fingers fumbled slightly with his laces.
However...
Looking at Liu Qingyue, who had her head bowed, her long black hair falling over her beautiful face like a curtain... there was a wonderful and warm feeling of a Domestic Young Wife.
It gave Shen Anyu a sense of conquest and comfort. The "White Moonlight" was learning to serve.
Her slender, fair fingers touched his ankles. Her touch was cool, tingly, and very comfortable.
Shen Anyu calmly accepted Liu Qingyue's service. He enjoyed the moment.
Then, he reached down.
He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up.
"Ah!"
Liu Qingyue gasped as she was lifted into the air.
Shen Anyu carried her effortlessly in a princess carry. He walked to the sofa and sat down, placing her on his lap.
Looking at Liu Qingyue's eyes filled with panic and shyness, he leaned in and lightly kissed her cheek.
Smack.
"You did well," he chuckled. "But when you're with me, there's no need to be so restrained or nervous. I don't bite... unless you want me to."
Speaking of which, Shen Anyu paused. He looked at Liu Qingyue with a gentle expression, his eyes softening.
"I know you are scared of Han Qi. I know you feel trapped."
"Don't worry. I will help you get used to me. And I will help you deal with him."
Liu Qingyue looked up, staring blankly at the gently smiling Shen Anyu.
He was different from his strong and domineering self of the past few days. He wasn't the "Demon" who forced her to do push-ups. He was the "Protector" who saved her from Huang Mao.
For some reason, her restraint and nervousness gradually dissipated a lot. She leaned slightly against his chest.
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Liu Qingyue's favorability +5!]
[Ding! Plundering +15,000 Destiny Value!]
Shen Anyu was in a good mood. He stroked her hair.
"Don't call me Young Master Shen anymore. It sounds distant."
"Call me An'yu. Or Brother Shen. Or... Husband. Any is fine."
Liu Qingyue's face burned.
"I... I can't call you that..."
She was not used to this intimacy. Even though those things (hugging, touching) had happened, they were technically strangers.
But she sensed the firmness within Shen Anyu's gentleness. He wouldn't take a rejection.
She lightly parted her red lips and tried a compromise.
"An'yu..."
"Are you... are you hungry? You just came back. Should I cook something for you to eat?"
She wanted to be useful. She wanted to repay him.
Shen Anyu chuckled, shaking his head.
"Silly girl. For things like cooking, just tell the chef. You don't need to do these rough things. Your hands are for playing piano, not chopping onions."
Liu Qingyue pursed her lips. She didn't know what to say.
In the living room, silence fell for a moment. It was a heavy, charged silence.
Shen Anyu's gaze, however, gradually intensified. It shifted from her eyes to her lips, then to her neck.
He tightened his arm around her waist.
He slowly whispered into Liu Qingyue's ear, his voice husky:
"However... I am indeed a little hungry~"
"But not for food."
Liu Qingyue froze. Her heart pounded. She understood the implication.
...
[Meanwhile: Downstairs]
On the first floor of the main Villa at Jiangjing Manor.
Two men sat in the waiting area.
One was Han Qi. The other was his adoptive father, Tianfeng Ichiro.
They had been waiting for two hours.
Originally, to avoid suspicion and maintain his cover, Han Qi had arrived separately from his "spy," Situ Yueying.
He knew Situ Yueying had arrived earlier to "report" to Shen Anyu.
But now... Situ Yueying had gone upstairs to the master bedroom. And two hours had passed without her coming down.
The servants had served tea three times. The tea was cold.
Han Qi sat there, his face stoic, but his hands were trembling slightly on his knees.
He wasn't stupid.
He knew what was happening upstairs. Even though the soundproofing of the villa was excellent and he couldn't hear anything... he knew.
A man and a woman. Alone in a bedroom for two hours.
His "confidante." His "sister." The woman who loved him (he thought). Being used by Shen Anyu.
Han Qi gritted his teeth so hard they almost cracked. He clenched his fists until his nails dug into his palms, drawing blood.
He was enraged to the extreme.
He felt the green hat weighing heavy on his head (even if Situ Yueying wasn't his wife, she was his woman in his mind).
"Shen Anyu... you bastard..."
"You treat my people like toys."
"I must become stronger! I must reclaim Situ Yueying! I must break free from Shen Anyu's control and kill him!"
The humiliation burned in his gut like acid.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Just then, a series of steady, leisurely footsteps sounded from the grand staircase.
Han Qi looked up.
He saw Shen Anyu walking down the stairs, looking refreshed, his clothes changed into casual home wear. He looked like a king descending to meet his subjects.
Han Qi's face immediately changed.
The rage vanished instantly. The hatred was buried deep.
His face filled with a fawning, respectful, and loyal expression. It was a mask he had worn for three years.
He stood up immediately, bowing low at a 90-degree angle.
"Greetings, Young Master Shen!"
"Little Han has been waiting for your orders!"
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