Chapter 611: Zhao Tao's End, a Ghost Ahead!
Shen Anyu smiled inwardly.
How wonderful Zhang Yaqian was; she didn't even care that Zhao Tao cheated with many women, truly embodying the demeanor of a magnanimous main wife.
Shen Anyu felt relieved; not all women were like Susan and Bai Bing, with strong possessive desires.
Unlike Ji Xiaolin, Zhang Yaqian was gentle and sensible, elegant and serene, not rebellious against her elders. For Shen Anyu, she was easier to conquer, practically within his grasp.
However, Shen Anyu's perception cut deeper than the surface. He keenly noticed that behind Zhang Yaqian's polished elegance and demure obedience lay a vibrant, untamed curiosity. It was a flickering flame, meticulously restrained by years of strict etiquette and a deeply ingrained sense of propriety, which kept her from ever overstepping her boundaries. But the fire was there, waiting for the right person to stoke it into a blaze.
Earlier, when she had first stepped into the Jiangnan Bar, her beautiful eyes had been wide with a fascination that she couldn't entirely conceal. It was a clear sign that a part of her yearned for experiences beyond her gilded cage.
'And I will be the one to unearth that hidden wildness,' Shen Anyu thought, a predatory glint in his eyes.
"Zhang Yaqian," he began, his voice a low, magnetic hum that cut through the night air. He extended a hand, his palm open in a gesture of obvious confidence. "How about I take you street racing?"
"Street racing?" The words hung in the air, foreign and shocking. Zhang Yaqian was visibly startled, a wave of hesitation washing over her delicate features. It was an activity so far removed from her refined world of art, music, and quiet high-society gatherings. It was wild, dangerous, and utterly thrilling. Her first instinct was to politely decline, to retreat to the safety of the familiar. But then her gaze met his. She saw the encouragement glittering in his dark eyes, felt the genuine warmth radiating from his handsome face, and the carefully constructed walls of her hesitation began to crumble. Her heart gave a little flutter, a traitorous leap of excitement. The hesitation dissipated like morning mist, and she gave a small, almost shy nod, uttering a soft, "Mm."
Shen Anyu's smile grew wider, a triumphant curve of his lips. He gently took her small, soft hand, the contact sending a pleasant jolt through them both. Her skin was as smooth as fine porcelain. He led her towards the majestic Rolls-Royce Phantom parked by the curb, its obsidian paint gleaming under the neon lights of the bar district.
As for the shadow detaching itself from a nearby alleyway, Shen Anyu paid it no mind. He was perfectly aware of the Artificer True Person, Tanaka Hikaru, stealthily following them. The man was a rat scurrying in the dark, and Shen Anyu felt nothing but contempt for his pathetic attempts at subterfuge. He was a trivial annoyance, a footnote in the evening's plans.
'Leaving? Perfect!' Tanaka Hikaru sneered inwardly, his heart thumping with avarice and malice. He saw them walking towards the luxury car and saw his opportunity. With a flick of his wrist, a motion so swift it was invisible to the mortal eye, he sent a wisp of spiritual energy flying through the air. A faint, complex sigil, shimmering with malevolent light, materialized for a fraction of a second before branding itself onto the Phantom's rear bumper, becoming utterly undetectable. It was a tracking spell mark. Chuckling to himself, he kicked his beloved little motorcycle to life and followed at a discreet distance, the small engine a mere whisper in the city's din.
His plan was brutally simple. He would follow them to a secluded, remote spot. There, he would act. He would abduct the exquisite beauty, Zhang Yaqian—a prize he could already imagine presenting to his superiors. And as for the Xiao Bailian, the pretty boy Shen Anyu? He would be a minor inconvenience to be disposed of. Tanaka would kill him, destroy the body, and stage the scene to look like a tragic, high-speed car accident. It would be clean, efficient, and profitable.
"The sky is azure, waiting for the misty rain..." Just as the heavy door of the Rolls-Royce swung open, a familiar melody chimed through the night.
Zhang Yaqian pursed her lips in annoyance. She had always adored the song "Blue and White Porcelain," its poetic lyrics and haunting melody speaking to her soul. She'd even set it as her personal ringtone. The fact that a scumbag like Zhao Tao had sung it now felt like a personal insult, a stain on something she loved. She was already planning to change it as soon as she got home. Fishing her phone from her purse, she saw the caller ID and her expression grew complex, a mixture of anger, lingering disappointment, and weariness. It was Zhao Tao.
Shen Anyu leaned across the passenger seat, his body close enough for her to feel his warmth and catch the faint, masculine scent of his cologne. The enclosed space of the car suddenly felt incredibly intimate. His voice was a low, amused murmur near her ear as he reached for her seatbelt.
"Zhao Tao must be calling to explain," he said, his smile laced with a knowing irony. "Do you want to answer?"
Through the nanometer monitoring robot swarming invisibly inside the Jiangnan Bar, Shen Anyu had a perfect view of the unfolding drama. He could see Zhao Tao's face, pale and slick with sweat, his eyes wide with terror as he was surrounded by a dozen menacing thugs from the Yunhu Association. The sight made Shen Anyu chuckle inwardly. The show was just getting started.
"Forget it. I don't want to hear his sweet talk and his lies," Zhang Yaqian said, shaking her head firmly. Her voice was cold. With a decisive tap of her finger, she hung up the phone.
The silence lasted only a moment before the phone rang again, the same melody piercing the quiet atmosphere.
Zhang Yaqian's delicate brows furrowed in frustration. She pursed her lips, her resolve warring with a flicker of indecision. A tiny, foolish part of her was still curious.
Sensing her hesitation, Shen Anyu spoke at the perfect moment, his tone casual yet persuasive. "Are you sure? Maybe you want to hear what he has to say? Perhaps he has a reason for all this?"
"Master Shen, please don't speak up for someone like him," Zhang Yaqian snapped, her voice sharper than she intended. The comparison between the man beside her and the man on the phone was stark. "What reason could he possibly have? Was someone holding a knife to his throat, forcing him to be heartless and unfaithful? Did someone force him to deceive me and steal my creative work? Master Shen, Zhao Tao is nothing like a gentleman like you."
Frustrated, she didn't just hang up this time. She held down the power button until the screen went black. In her mind, the conversation was painfully predictable. Zhao Tao would surely spin a web of excuses, using his practiced sweet-talk to weasel his way out of responsibility. But what was there to explain? The pictures were proof. The truth was laid bare. The facts were irrefutable.
At that moment, she became acutely aware of Shen Anyu's presence. His warm breath ghosted across her cheek. He was so close, his face just inches from hers as he focused on the seatbelt buckle. The sheer proximity made her heart pound against her ribs. Zhang Yaqian's face flushed a deep crimson, and she whispered, "Master Shen, you—"
"Helping you buckle your seatbelt." With a soft click, the belt was secure. Shen Anyu pulled back smoothly, a faint smile playing on his lips, and returned to the driver's seat as if nothing had happened.
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Zhang Yaqian's favorability +1. Plundering 3,000 Destiny Points!]
Shen Anyu's perfectly executed gentlemanly demeanor had struck a chord deep within Zhang Yaqian. It was a simple act, but it was filled with a consideration and respect that she now realized had been sorely lacking in her previous relationship. Inevitably, her mind began to draw comparisons.
'Master Shen is more handsome than Zhao Tao,' she thought, her eyes tracing the sharp, masculine line of his jaw. 'He's more mature, more graceful… his character is on a completely different level. And he's so mysterious, so powerful…'
She chanced a surreptitious glance at his handsome profile as he started the engine. As if sensing her gaze, Shen Anyu turned his head and looked directly at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners with a warm smile. Caught staring, her pretty face burned an even deeper shade of red, and she quickly looked away, her heart a frantic drum against her chest.
Inside the silent, opulent cabin of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, a hazy, charged atmosphere began to brew.
Meanwhile, back at the Jiangnan Bar, hell was breaking loose.
Zhao Tao was on the verge of a complete mental breakdown. He desperately redialed Zhang Yaqian's number again and again, only to be met with the cold, robotic voice of the service provider. She had turned off her phone. She wouldn't even listen to him. A cold dread seeped into his bones.
"The three-minute countdown is over, First Young Master Zhao," the leader of the Yunhu Association thugs sneered, his voice dripping with menace. He cracked his neck, a predatory grin spreading across his face. "It seems you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a penalty. In that case, brothers, let's teach him a lesson!"
He didn't wait for a reply. He hefted a solid wood baseball bat, the weapon looking like a toy in his meaty fist, and swung it down with vicious force. The bat whistled through the air, aimed directly at Zhao Tao's shoulder.
"Ah—" Zhao Tao squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable, agonizing impact. He prepared to scream, to feel his bones shatter. But the scream died in his throat. He felt a dull thud, but no pain. "...Eh? Nothing? Did he not use any force?" He opened his eyes, confused. A strange, intense heat flared in his pocket. He quickly fumbled inside and pulled out a small pile of gray ash.
It was the Peace Talisman. The two-hundred-million-yuan talisman he had bought from Master Shen. It had just blocked a calamity for him. In that moment of sheer terror and confusion, a single thought pierced his panic: the talisman was real. It was unbelievably effective.
'Master Shen was right. He was so accurate!' Zhao Tao was on the verge of tears, a mix of awe and despair swirling within him. 'The black cloud covering my head… it really did mean a great calamity. But how could it be a calamity of this scale?'
"Nothing? Didn't use force?" The thug leader's face darkened, his eyes narrowing into slits of pure rage. He felt utterly humiliated. "First Young Master Zhao, are you provoking me? Are you saying I'm weak?"
To him, Zhao Tao's bewildered comment was the ultimate insult. This rich brat, who owed them a fortune, was mocking his strength.
"You're courting death!" The words exploded from his lips. With a roar, he swung again. This time, there was no holding back. He put all of his formidable strength into the blow, channeling his fury into the arc of the bat. It descended like a bolt of lightning, aimed at Zhao Tao's leg.
CRACK!
"AHHHH!" A shrill, blood-curdling scream tore from Zhao Tao's throat. The sound of bone snapping was sickeningly loud, echoing through the now-silent bar. His right leg bent at an unnatural angle, the sharp, white end of a fractured tibia piercing through the fabric of his expensive trousers. The pain was immediate, white-hot, and all-consuming.
"Hit him! Beat him hard!" the leader bellowed, his expression utterly vicious. Daring to default on the Yunhu Association's payments was like spitting in the face of the heavens!
Zhao Tao's two bodyguards exchanged a quick, knowing glance. The Zhao family was bankrupt. Their salaries were gone. Why should they risk their necks for a boss who couldn't pay them? It was a miracle they weren't demanding their back wages right now. They took a collective step back, becoming passive spectators.
Zhao Tao collapsed to the ground, curling into a fetal position as the pack of thugs descended upon him. He clutched his head, his screams becoming choked sobs as baseball bats rained down on his body. Thud. Thud. Crack. Each impact sent a fresh wave of agony through him. His meticulously styled suit was torn and dirtied, his body a canvas of rapidly forming bruises and broken bones. His mentality completely shattered.
How? How did it all come to this?
He was a noble Transmigrator! He had a photographic memory, a heavenly singing voice! His family was worth tens of billions! He had a beautiful, wealthy, and talented fiancée! How could it all have turned to dust?
In his grand vision, his life was supposed to be magnificent. Zhang Yaqian would be the steadfast wife at home, managing his affairs with grace. Outside, superstars like Zhong Lingyin, Wen Feifei, and Zhou Minmin would be his fluttering banners, women who adored him. He would release a single song and bring countless fans to their knees, their wild cheers a symphony for his ego.
His future was supposed to be brilliant, a golden road of unparalleled satisfaction and glory!
But now... everything was over.
He was blacklisted by the authorities, his career in the entertainment industry finished before it even began. His family's empire had crumbled into bankruptcy. His father, unable to face the shame, had jumped from a building. And here he was, being savagely beaten by a pack of low-level thugs, his life's blood pooling on the dirty floor of a bar.
It's over!
It's completely, utterly over!
[Ding! Child of Destiny Zhao Tao's mentality has completely collapsed. Plundering 26,687 Destiny Points!]
[Ding! Zhao Tao's Destiny Value has been cleared. His Child of Destiny halo has shattered. He has lost his status as a Child of Destiny!]
In the driver's seat of the Rolls-Royce, Shen Anyu heard the System's notifications chime in his mind.
'Is that all? I haven't even really started trying, and you've already fallen apart?'
Shen Anyu raised a single, unimpressed eyebrow.
"Oh!" At this moment, Zhang Yaqian, in the passenger seat, cried out in surprise, her voice sharp with sudden fear. Her hand shot out, her finger pointing shakily through the windshield. "Master Shen, there's... there's a ghost ahead!"
...
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