Chapter 495: Zhou Luyao was Ecstatic!
"Ugh~"
Zhou Luyao understood Shen Anyu's hidden meaning, her heart filled with both shyness and joy, her small face flushing red.
Although she was still a pure maiden, in this day and age, few internet surfers didn't understand such things. Her shyness was natural, but her joy stemmed from the fact that this top-tier rich and handsome guy seemed to have feelings for her too.
However, Zhou Luyao was also a bit worried; being used was acceptable, but getting nothing in return was a humiliation she couldn't bear. As a gold-digger with lofty aspirations, Zhou Luyao had fiercely guarded her purity, a trump card she refused to play until she had a guaranteed win. She wouldn't release the hawk until she saw the prey, and this man looked like the grandest prize she had ever encountered. Every instinct screamed that this was her one chance to leap from the gutter to the heavens.
With a practiced flutter of her eyelashes, she summoned the most enchanting smile she could muster, her voice a carefully crafted melody of sweetness and intrigue.
"Hey handsome, my name is Zhou Luyao. How should I address you?"
"Shen Anyu," he replied, his tone as smooth and cool as polished obsidian.
"Brother Shen, could you take me for a spin? I've never ridden in such a cool and handsome car before." Zhou Luyao's long, straight legs, encased in taut black stockings, were a portrait of slender perfection. Standing before Shen Anyu, she posed artfully, her question a delicate probe laced with a heavy dose of expectation. The fabric of her stockings shimmered under the city lights, accentuating the elegant curve of her calves and the tempting line of her thighs.
"Of course," Shen Anyu smiled slightly, a flicker of amusement in his deep eyes that saw right through her performance. It was a game he had played a thousand times, and he always won.
He gestured for her to get in, the heavy door of the Rolls-Royce Phantom closing with a solid, satisfying thud that sealed her off from the mundane world outside. The interior was a sanctuary of wealth, the scent of expensive leather and polished wood filling her senses. It was a fragrance she had only ever dreamed of, the smell of power, of a life completely beyond her reach until this very moment.
Shen Anyu drove with one hand resting casually on the wheel, his movements fluid and economical. The massive vehicle glided through the bustling city streets as if it were a phantom, the noise and chaos of the outside world reduced to a distant, silent film. Zhou Luyao watched him, utterly captivated.
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Zhou Luyao's favorability +5, plundering +15,000 destiny value!]
The system's notification was a pleasant, expected chime in the back of his mind.
Zhou Luyao's gaze was glued to Shen Anyu's profile. The sharp line of his jaw, the confident set of his shoulders, the way his fingers rested so assuredly on the steering wheel—it was all intoxicating. She felt a heat rise within her that had nothing to do with the car's climate control. He was an apex predator in a bespoke suit, and she was willingly walking into his domain. He wasn't just handsome; he exuded an aura of absolute control that was more potent than any aphrodisiac.
'It's over, it's completely over. I've fallen,' her mind screamed, a frantic mix of panic and exhilaration. 'How can any girl, young and beautiful or not, possibly refuse a man like this? A god-tier handsome man driving a Rolls-Royce Phantom with one hand? It's impossible!'
Zhou Luyao was a storm of silent cheers and frantic planning. She had to have him. This wasn't just about money anymore; it was about conquering the ultimate prize.
Shen Anyu, for his part, was in an excellent mood. A proactive Destined Heroine like this saved him so much trouble. No pointless games, no tedious chasing. Her favorability had already climbed to seventy. With a little push, he could conquer her completely before the night was over.
Although Zhou Luyao wasn't wearing any expensive, overpowering perfume, a faint, subtle fragrance drifted from her skin—a clean, sweet scent like blooming flowers after a spring rain. It mingled with the rich aroma of the car's interior, creating an atmosphere that was both luxurious and intimate. A magnificent car, a stunning woman, and a gentle, intoxicating breeze drifting through the open window. It was a perfect picture.
His gaze swept over her, lingering for a moment on the flush of her cheeks and the rapid pulse beating at the base of her throat. He decided to cut through the charade.
"Yaoyao, how about being my woman?" Shen Anyu asked, his voice laced with a playful interest that held an undercurrent of steel.
Zhou Luyao felt his eyes on her, and the blush on her face deepened to a crimson fire, her cheeks burning. A part of her, the part that had been dreaming of this exact moment, wanted to scream yes. But her well-honed instincts, the rules of the game she had studied for years, held her back. She couldn't appear too cheap, too easy. At the very least, she needed a promise, a sign of commitment, something to solidify her position.
"Brother Shen," she began, her tone a masterclass in coquetry, a delicate blend of shyness and delight. "We're moving a little too fast, don't you think? I'm… I'm a slow person." She was trying to frame a rejection that wouldn't anger him, a gentle pushback to increase her value.
However, Shen Anyu was not a simp like Tang Kun. He had no time or patience for such games. He wouldn't indulge Zhou Luyao's tactics, and he certainly wouldn't be manipulated by them. Some Destined Heroines were worth the time and effort to court and pursue, to unravel their complexities slowly. But for a transparent gold-digger like Zhou Luyao, there was a much simpler, more direct solution. Money was the only language she truly understood.
Shen Anyu, having already seen through her every thought, simply smiled at her. The smile didn't quite reach his eyes. He said directly:
"Ten million. How about following me?"
The number struck her like a physical blow.
Ten million!
Zhou Luyao's breath hitched in her throat, her chest rising and falling in ragged, shallow gasps. She had never expected him to be so direct, so… generous. Her mind, which had been spinning with romantic fantasies, slammed to a halt and began calculating with frantic speed.
This was ten million. An astronomical sum. It was more money than ninety-nine percent of the population would ever see in their entire lives. It was enough to buy a spacious apartment and a luxury car in a major city, with plenty left over to live a life of comfort and ease. It was a figure that made Tang Kun's entire existence seem like a pathetic joke. He could deliver food from dawn until dusk until his body gave out, and he would never, ever earn ten million.
"Brother Shen… are you… are you joking with Yaoyao?"
Zhou Luyao swallowed hard, her voice trembling as she forced the words out. Her throat felt dry, her palms slick with sweat.
Shen Anyu, still steering the Rolls-Royce effortlessly with one hand, chuckled. It was a low, confident sound that filled the car.
"Do I look like someone who jokes? Ten million. Follow me, be my kept woman. You understand the services that involves."
His words were blunt, stripping away all pretense. Zhou Luyao's eyes darted around the cabin. The Rolls-Royce Phantom, a custom model valued at two hundred million. The opulent interior that screamed bespoke luxury. The ridiculously expensive, world-famous watch glinting on Shen Anyu's wrist. She was very, very sure that ten million was pocket change to a man like this.
For a moment, Zhou Luyao's watery eyes shimmered, her long eyelashes fluttering uncontrollably as she fought to process the reality of the offer. Her heart was a war drum, pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. It was screaming, shouting, roaring in her chest. This is ten million! Once she had it, she would never have to work another day in her life. She would never have to endure the disgusting, leering gazes of those pot-bellied clients at her sales job. She would never have to return to that cramped, depressing rented room. She would never have to feel a pang of guilt over buying a simple 79-yuan eyebrow pencil…
The future she had always dreamed of was being laid out before her on a silver platter.
Struggling to suppress the tidal wave of joy that threatened to consume her, Zhou Luyao made one last, feeble attempt at playing her part. Her soft, charming voice echoed gently in the quiet car:
"Brother Shen, I'm not that kind of person…"
"Thirty million."
His voice cut her off flatly, without a hint of hesitation.
"Thirty million???"
The words burst from her lips in a strangled shriek. Zhou Luyao nearly jumped out of her seat, her beautiful eyes wide and round, staring at Shen Anyu with a mixture of disbelief and profound shock. The last vestiges of her composure shattered into a million pieces.
How rich was this man? Thirty million… just for her to follow him?
A flicker of paranoid fear ignited in her mind. 'Could this be a scam? Is he trying to harvest my kidneys?'
But the thought died as quickly as it appeared. 'No, no, no. A top-tier magnate driving a two-hundred-million-yuan Rolls-Royce wouldn't give a damn about the money from a kidney.' This couldn't be a scam. Even the most exclusive car rental companies on the planet couldn't afford to keep a vehicle like this in their fleet.
But… thirty million. This was thirty million! A sprawling villa overlooking the sea. A garage full of luxury cars. A walk-in closet overflowing with designer handbags and haute couture. A jewelry box filled with diamonds and precious gems. She would have everything she had ever wanted, everything she had ever scrolled past on social media with a heart full of envy.
Zhou Luyao felt herself falling into a beautiful, dizzying dream, a world made of cotton candy clouds and rivers of champagne, sweet and utterly delightful.
"Oh, I forgot to mention," Shen Anyu added casually, as if discussing the weather. He glanced at her dazed expression with an amused smirk. "Thirty million is per year. Thirty million, annually."
Thirty… million… annually!
The world went white. Zhou Luyao froze completely, her mind wiped clean. Her pupils lost all focus, her brain overloaded by the sheer, crushing weight of that number. She was completely and utterly stunned, her consciousness floating in a sea of blissful static.
Shen Anyu didn't rush her. He calmly continued driving the Rolls-Royce Phantom, heading towards the most bustling and expensive commercial district in Hangzhou, the city lights painting streaks of gold and neon across the polished hood.
It took Zhou Luyao a very, very long time to come back to her senses. When she finally did, she was panting like a frightened deer, her pretty little face flushed a deep crimson, her entire body thrumming with an electric current of excitement. She turned to him, her voice a strange, breathless whisper that was completely alien to her own ears:
"Brother Shen… are you… are you serious?"
Shen Anyu smoothly pulled the Rolls-Royce Phantom to a stop in front of a major bank, the imposing glass and steel facade gleaming under the night sky. He turned to her, his expression calm and unreadable.
"If you don't believe me, I can transfer the money right now. Thirty million, in advance."
Spending money on a Destined Heroine was an investment he could always recoup later, though Shen Anyu wasn't short on such small change anyway. Besides, the destiny value he had already plundered from Zhou Luyao was, in his eyes, worth more than a hundred, or even a thousand times thirty million.
Then, without another word, Shen Anyu reached over and directly took Zhou Luyao's small hand—the very hand that Tang Kun had dreamed of holding for years but never dared to touch. He led her out of the car and walked straight into the bank to arrange the thirty-million-yuan transfer for her.
Looking at the string of zeroes on the screen reflecting in her wide, dazed eyes, at the staggering balance now residing in her bank card, Zhou Luyao felt completely detached from reality, as if she were in a dream.
"Let's go, I'll take you shopping," Shen Anyu chuckled, his voice pulling her back from the edge. After the shopping, of course, it would be Zhou Luyao's turn to pay the price~
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