Chapter 551: Her Mind Shatters, Shen Anyu, Stop Right There!
'This woman's personality is really quite difficult~'
Shen Anyu found the situation intensely amusing. He was curious to see what game Xiao Lin, this strange and stubborn woman, was playing and why she was deliberately pushing her way closer. Was she planning to expose what had transpired between them in that illusory world she had crafted?
Of course, Shen Anyu remained completely unaffected by Xiao Lin's Artificer True Person abilities. Although she held that rare and potent status, for a powerhouse like Shen Anyu, whose strength had reached the Peak of the Celestial Realm and the eighth layer of Qi cultivation, her spiritual attacks were like a gentle breeze against a mountain. She possessed no power to shake his mind or will.
The entire notion of it being a dream was simply him playing along, turning Xiao Lin's own strategy back on her.
He was patient. He wanted to see exactly when Xiao Lin would finally lose her composure. When would she snap and reveal everything, or perhaps make some other astonishing move?
With that thought, Shen Anyu began to order. He had already done his homework, thoroughly investigating the culinary preferences of both Xiao Lin and Zhou Luyao. With a faint, knowing smile, he gestured to the waiter and began listing dishes, each one a carefully selected favorite of the two women seated before him.
The names rolled off his tongue with casual elegance, a litany of Hangzhou's finest cuisine. "Longjing Shrimp, Beggar's Chicken, Yellow Croaker with Rice Cakes, Green Tea Kelp Seafood Soup, Qiantang River Rice Fish Lion's Head, and the Black Truffle and Wagyu Beef Protein Fried Rice." The list went on and on, a seemingly endless parade of delicacies until more than thirty dishes had been ordered.
It wasn't an absurd amount, however. In an establishment of this caliber, opulence was expressed through variety, not volume. The philosophy was one of refined taste, emphasizing small, exquisitely crafted portions served on oversized, artistic plates. Each dish was a masterpiece of culinary art, designed to be savored.
To accompany the feast, he also requested a bottle of 1982 Romanée-Conti. He casually dismissed the more common choice, the '82 Lafite, with a subtle remark to the sommelier that its market was flooded with fakes, consumed at more than ten times its actual production. This simple comment established him not just as a man of wealth, but of discerning taste.
The dishes began to arrive, carried by a procession of white-gloved staff. The Longjing Shrimp were first, pearlescent and glistening, nestled amongst tender, vibrant green tea leaves. Zhou Luyao took a delicate bite, and her eyes widened in delight. The shrimp was perfectly cooked—fresh, fragrant, and unbelievably tender, carrying the subtle, clear aroma of the famed Longjing tea. It was a flawless execution of color, scent, and taste. Her beautiful eyes lit up immediately, a genuine spark of joy igniting within them. Yet, she contained her excitement, her movements slow and graceful, a perfect performance of the etiquette drilled into her during those socialite finishing classes.
For Zhou Luyao, whose family background was modest, a restaurant of this stature was a world she could only access when she was with Shen Anyu. The feeling was intoxicating. She felt an incredible wave of happiness wash over her, finding the entire experience both impossibly stylish and utterly delicious. A powerful urge welled up within her—the desire to take a photo, to capture this moment and post it for all her friends to see—but she expertly suppressed it, a small sign of her own evolving composure.
Instead, she directed a brilliant smile toward the silent woman across the table. "Xiao Lin, why aren't you eating? Don't be shy," she said, her voice dripping with saccharine concern.
As she spoke, Zhou Luyao's smile grew even sweeter. She picked up a succulent piece of shrimp with her chopsticks and gracefully extended it toward Shen Anyu.
He leaned forward, a playful glint in his eyes, and opened his mouth to accept the offering. He was thoroughly enjoying the simmering drama. After savoring the bite, he turned his smiling gaze to Xiao Lin. "Xiao Lin," he said, his tone friendly but with a subtle layer of distance, "you are Yaoyao's classmate, which makes you my friend. Please, eat with us."
Xiao Lin said nothing.
Beneath the tablecloth, her fists tightened once more, her knuckles turning white.
Throughout the remainder of the meal, the dynamic was set in stone. For Xiao Lin, every exquisite dish tasted of ash; the complex flavors were utterly lost on her tormented palate. In stark contrast, Zhou Luyao ate with a blissful, radiant happiness, each bite a celebration of her victory.
Shen Anyu watched Xiao Lin with keen interest, a silent predator observing his prey. He wondered just how much more pressure she could take before she finally, spectacularly, erupted.
After they had finished, Shen Anyu beckoned a waitress over to settle the bill.
"Hello, sir. The total for your party of three comes to 113,752 yuan. Will you be paying with WeChat, Alipay, or by card?" the waitress asked, her voice a model of professional courtesy, betraying no shock at the astronomical sum.
"Card, please," Shen Anyu replied, casually retrieving a sleek, black bank card from his wallet as if he were paying for a cup of coffee.
Zhou Luyao's eyes flickered with triumphant light. She leaned slightly toward Xiao Lin, her voice a conspiratorial whisper just loud enough to feel like a public announcement. "Xiao Lin, when you look for a man in the future, I suggest you find one like my Brother Shen. He pays with his card without even batting an eye. Isn't that just the most handsome thing?"
"Hehe," Xiao Lin forced a laugh, the sound brittle. "When I look for a man, I don't care about money." A sour, acidic taste filled her mouth, and her gaze drifted, unintentionally but inevitably, toward Shen Anyu.
She told herself it wasn't jealousy. It couldn't be. It was just… a feeling of profound imbalance.
'Hmph, I, Xiao Lin, am not as shallow as Zhou Luyao,' she thought fiercely, a desperate attempt to shore up her crumbling pride. 'She's grinning from ear to ear over a single meal. How pathetic.'
Zhou Luyao's delicate lips curled into a knowing smirk. The barb had landed perfectly. "Xiao Lin, you're not getting sour, are you? Are you envious of me? If you are, I could ask my Brother Shen to introduce you to a tall, rich, and handsome boyfriend."
"Who's sour? I'm not sour at all," Xiao Lin snapped, her voice a little too sharp. "I'm not interested in such things. Luyao, you really underestimate me." She snorted, raising her fair, slender neck in a gesture of defiance.
"Oh, that's right," Zhou Luyao cooed, her eyes dancing with amusement. "I forgot. Xiao Lin pursues a soulmate and isn't interested in worldly possessions."
"Yes, yes, that's right," Xiao Lin affirmed, latching onto the excuse like a drowning woman to a piece of driftwood.
Zhou Luyao leaned in, her smile turning predatory. "Then, is that how you were tricked by some scumbag?" she asked, revealing the venomous point of her trap.
The air crackled.
Xiao Lin froze.
Watching the color drain from Xiao Lin's face as she visibly deflated, Zhou Luyao felt a profound sense of satisfaction. 'That's what you get for being a third wheel,' she thought, her victory sweet. 'That's what you get for trying to steal my man.'
Zhou Luyao wasn't blind. She had been observing Xiao Lin with the precision of a hawk all evening. She had counted at least one hundred and twenty stolen glances directed at her Brother Shen. That hesitant, conflicted expression was a dead giveaway—the woman definitely had something on her mind.
But Zhou Luyao hadn't exposed her directly. Though she projected an image of magnanimity, she had no desire for another competitor. Her long, charming eyes shifted back to Shen Anyu, and she switched her tone to one of a sweet, spoiled lover.
"Husband, we've eaten and drunk our fill. Let's go home now."
Shen Anyu took his bank card back from the waitress, his lips curled in a slight, endlessly amused smile. "Aren't you going shopping?"
"No," Zhou Luyao replied instantly, her voice like honey. "I don't need to buy anything. I'm perfectly happy just being at home with my husband."
She wasn't about to give Xiao Lin a single opening. After all that probing, she had confirmed her suspicions: Xiao Lin was absolutely interested in her Brother Shen.
If they went shopping, wouldn't that just give Xiao Lin an excuse to tag along?
Right there, in front of Xiao Lin, Zhou Luyao stood up and fluidly linked her arm through Shen Anyu's, pressing herself against his side in an unmistakable display of ownership. She then turned to face Xiao Lin, her eyes sparkling with false sympathy.
"Xiao Lin, I won't be accompanying you any further. Brother Shen and I are going to enjoy our time together now. You won't think I'm not a good bestie, will you?"
Xiao Lin's expression twisted for a moment, a flicker of raw pain crossing her features. But she quickly suppressed it, forcing her face into a mask of calm. "It's fine," she said, her voice tight. "I don't need you two to accompany me."
Zhou Luyao had just begun to breathe a sigh of relief.
Then, Xiao Lin spoke again, her words dropping into the silence like stones into a placid pond.
"However... are you two living together? I'd like to visit your little home. How about it?"
Zhou Luyao's beautiful eyes widened in sheer disbelief. She stared at Xiao Lin as if she had sprouted a second head. 'Good heavens, Xiao Lin, are you actually this shameless?! I never would have thought... is this still the same Xiao Lin who used to despise all men?'
Because her father, Zhang Tianen, had abandoned his wife and daughter for the sake of his cultivation, Xiao Lin had always harbored a deep-seated aversion to men, convinced they were all irredeemable scumbags. But now? Now she was eagerly, aggressively, pushing her way into their private life?
Zhou Luyao simply couldn't believe it. Xiao Lin had to understand the meaning behind her words, the clear signal to back off. And yet, she still wanted to come along and be the third wheel?
A cold fire ignited in Zhou Luyao's heart. 'Hehe, so you're trying to steal my man, are you? I, Zhou Luyao, am not afraid!' Her charming eyes narrowed, and a fierce, competitive spirit burned within her. If Xiao Lin was insisting on declaring war, then she couldn't be blamed for being merciless.
Ignoring Zhou Luyao entirely, Xiao Lin's beautiful eyes stared intently at Shen Anyu. She spoke, her words laced with deliberate meaning, "Shen Anyu, we've been through thick and thin together, haven't we? So how about you take me to visit your home?"
She was challenging him, challenging both of them. 'If you two have the guts,' she thought desperately, 'then go ahead and do something intimate right in front of me. Otherwise, I am absolutely going to be your third wheel tonight!'
Shen Anyu found the entire spectacle utterly hilarious. A low chuckle rumbled in his chest as he met Xiao Lin's determined gaze and gave a relaxed nod.
"Alright," he said, his voice smooth and untroubled. "I'll take you for a visit~"
On the other side.
Inside the Tianshi Sect.
Zhang Zhiyun finally woke up~
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