Chapter 650: Ling Qingcheng: Should I tell Yaqian?
Zhong Lingyin gave a bitter smile.
In her opinion, her man, Shen Anyu, was perfect in every conceivable way—impossibly handsome, disarmingly gentle, overwhelmingly powerful, meticulously considerate, and an unshakable pillar of reliability. There was just one tiny, infinitesimal flaw: he was a bit too much of a playboy. A flaw she had, to her own surprise, come to accept and even find a certain charm in. It was a dangerous thought, one that spoke volumes about how deeply she had fallen.
"I think I remember that woman," Zhong Lingyin murmured, her brow furrowed in concentration as she tapped a perfectly manicured finger against her chin. The city lights of Hangzhou streaked past the tinted windows of the Porsche, painting fleeting strokes of neon across her contemplative face. "She seems to be one of Hangzhou's top ten wealthiest individuals, and the only woman on that list. Ling Qingcheng, the beautiful CEO of the Ling Group."
The name clicked, bringing with it a flood of memories. Before, the Ling Group had repeatedly, almost aggressively, courted her, offering a staggering sum for her to endorse their newly launched beauty and cosmetics subsidiary. The offers had been tempting, but her schedule was always packed.
After all, Heavenly Queen Zhong was a cultural phenomenon. Her popularity was a force of nature, her influence immense. She was the face of every major blue-blood and red-blood luxury brand, from high fashion to exclusive jewelry. Countless companies were willing to burn through mountains of cash just for a single endorsement from her. A simple promotional post on her Weibo could command a price of millions, while a full endorsement deal started in the tens of millions and only went up from there.
During a high-profile business gala, Zhong Lingyin had met Ling Qingcheng once. She remembered being struck by the woman's presence. Ling Qingcheng possessed a chilling, elegant beauty and a sharp, commanding aura that could easily have made her a superstar in her own right. The memory of that beautiful, formidable CEO had left a deep impression. Snapping back to the present, the pieces fell into place.
"A woman like Ling Qingcheng isn't easy to pursue," Zhong Lingyin pursed her lips, a thoughtful gleam in her eyes. Then, a mischievous, almost wicked chuckle escaped her. "Especially since..."
Ling Qingcheng had personally witnessed the scene at the restaurant. She had seen her, the Heavenly Queen Zhong, and the bewitching Liu Ruyan both at Shen Anyu's side. What sane, powerful, and self-respecting woman would willingly walk into a situation like that? Why would she choose to leap headfirst into such a fiery pit? Then again, Zhong Lingyin mused, she herself was quite content burning in that very pit.
"How about we make a bet?" Shen Anyu's voice was a low, smooth purr that cut through the quiet interior of the car. He drove the Porsche with a casual, one-handed confidence, his other arm resting on the center console. He glanced back at her, a predatory yet charming smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"What kind of bet?" Zhong Lingyin's curiosity was instantly piqued, her earlier thoughts scattering like dust in the wind.
Beside her, Liu Ruyan, who had been stewing in a silent, theatrical sulk, immediately perked up, her delicate, fox-like ears practically twitching with interest.
"Let's bet that I can win over Ling Qingcheng," Shen Anyu proposed, his gaze drifting down to linger on Zhong Lingyin's soft, pink lips for a fraction of a second too long. The smile on his face widened. "If you lose, you agree to one condition of mine. If I lose, I agree to one condition of yours. How about it?"
Zhong Lingyin frowned slightly, a flicker of hesitation crossing her features. The proposition was tantalizing, but the stakes felt dangerously personal. A part of her was jealous, not wanting him to pursue another woman. Another part of her, the part that knew him, was morbidly curious to see how he would pull it off.
Just as she was weighing her options, Liu Ruyan leaned forward from the back seat, her voice clear and decisive.
"Okay, I'll bet. Count me in."
"However..."
At this, Liu Ruyan paused for dramatic effect. Her long, enchanting foxy eyes curved into crescents as she looked at Shen Anyu, a half-smile playing on her lips that was both alluring and cunning. "However, you cannot expose your identity, nor can you use your power or influence to force her into submission. How about it?"
In Liu Ruyan's view, this was the only way to make it a fair contest. If Shen Anyu revealed himself as the First Young Master of the colossal Yanxia's Shen Clan, the game would be over before it began. Ling Qingcheng would be left with only two choices: cling to his leg like a lifeline or submit to his will. The only other alternative would be to perish together, her entire empire crushed under his heel.
So what if she was one of Hangzhou's ten richest? In front of her stinky husband, a regional tycoon was nothing more than an ant on the roadside. He could obliterate her entire existence with a single, careless gesture.
Shen Anyu regarded Liu Ruyan with a look of genuine interest, a flicker of amusement dancing in his dark eyes. He said leisurely, his voice dropping to a low, intimate timbre, "If my winning condition was for you and Anna to serve me together... would you still be willing?"
Zhong Lingyin was, for the moment, still operating under the alias 'Anna'. She had no idea that her identity as the third junior sister was already crystal clear to Liu Ruyan.
"No! Let's not bet anymore!" The words flew out of Zhong Lingyin's mouth in a rush of pure panic. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic bird trapped in a cage. Serve Shen Anyu with Second Senior Sister Liu Ruyan? Together? Her identity would be exposed in an instant! How could she possibly face her then? She was flustered beyond words, her mind a whirlwind of anxiety.
"Bet! I'll bet!" But at that exact moment, Liu Ruyan let out a soft snort, her voice laced with defiance as she agreed without a second's hesitation.
Anyway, it wasn't as if it hadn't happened before. She vividly remembered the chaotic scene back at the Magic City River View Manor. She, Fourth Junior Sister Ye Liyou, and Seventh Junior Sister Yang Luoluo had been caught in a fierce battle for his affection, a veritable 'shura field' where Shen Anyu had thoroughly "disciplined" all of them for a very, very long time.
Zhong Lingyin's panicked, flustered reaction, far from being a deterrent, only solidified Liu Ruyan's resolve. She found her junior sister's transparent fear utterly amusing.
"Sister Ruyan, isn't this kind of thing... not a good idea?" Zhong Lingyin managed to say, her voice strained. Her heart was racing, pounding a desperate rhythm against her chest. How could this be happening?
"No problem. Trust me, we definitely won't lose," Liu Ruyan said, suppressing her smile and turning her sharp gaze back to Shen Anyu. "Stinky husband, the time limit can't be too long. One month... no, half a month. If you can't win over Ling Qingcheng in half a month, then you lose. You'll have to agree to one condition each from me and Anna."
Zhong Lingyin let out a pair of weak whimpers, but Liu Ruyan reached over and gently covered her mouth with her hand, silencing her protests.
"Alright. Half a month it is," Shen Anyu replied with an easy smile, his confidence unwavering.
Not using power or influence to coerce her didn't mean he was out of options. Far from it. He had already dispatched his people to conduct a thorough investigation. He already knew Ling Qingcheng's Achilles' heel.
As for the Child of Destiny inevitably tied to a woman of her stature and plot importance, there were no concrete clues just yet.
And why was he so certain Ling Qingcheng was a Destined Heroine?
The System had already given him the answer. The very first moment her eyes had landed on him, a cold, robotic prompt had echoed in his mind, confirming her status and rewarding him for his mere presence.
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Ling Qingcheng's favorability +5. Plundered +15,000 Destiny Points!]
With Shen Anyu's current god-like charm stat, it was nearly impossible for any woman not to feel at least a flicker of a good impression upon meeting him. An increase of five favorability points was practically the bare minimum. A jump of ten or twenty was the norm.
'Ling Qingcheng, a beautiful CEO... what type of Child of Destiny is attached to her?' Shen Anyu mused, his mind already running through the familiar archetypes. 'A personal bodyguard with a mysterious past? A soldier king returning to the city? A peerless divine doctor? A reincarnated immortal? A returning powerhouse from the cultivation world? Or perhaps a lucky fool with his own System?'
Compared to the simple conquest of Ling Qingcheng, Shen Anyu was far more interested in identifying and neutralizing the protagonist lurking in her shadow. He had his subordinates secretly digging into every facet of her life, with a special focus on any and all men she came into contact with.
A high-priority watch list had been established. Men with surnames like Qin, Qi, Chu, Yan, Zhao, Wei, Han, Xiao, Ye, Chen, and Zhou, and especially those with given names like Fanchen or Yan, were being given special, uncompromising attention.
But thus far, nothing. No one of any particular note had been found. The investigation was still ongoing.
Shen Anyu wasn't worried. He would conquer Ling Qingcheng first. Once the heroine was his, the associated Child of Destiny would inevitably crawl out of the woodwork, drawn to the flame like a moth. It was only a matter of time.
...
On the other side of the city, Ling Qingcheng was also giving orders. She had commanded her own people to investigate Shen Anyu, specifically requesting any and all videos or photos of him with other women. She was determined to expose his true, scumbag colors and force her good friend, Zhang Yaqian, to see the error of her ways and escape his clutches.
'Zhang Yaqian, Sister Qingcheng will definitely help you teach that scumbag a lesson.'
Ling Qingcheng's sharp, cold eyes were fixed on the Porsche speeding ahead, her thoughts a torrent of protective fury. But as she followed him through the winding roads, a deep sense of surprise began to bloom in her chest.
"Jinxiu Mountain Villa? This scumbag also lives in Jinxiu Mountain Villa?" she muttered in disbelief. "He's not even trying to avoid Zhang Yaqian?"
Zhang Yaqian also lived in Jinxiu Mountain Villa, in Villa No. 6. Ling Qingcheng, as her closest friend, had bought the adjacent Villa No. 7. Though, as a chronic workaholic, Ling Qingcheng usually stayed in a high-end penthouse apartment near the Ling Group headquarters, rarely returning to her villa.
Watching the Porsche ascend, climbing towards the most exclusive, highest point of the mountain estate, Ling Qingcheng grew even more astonished. Her breath caught in her throat when the sports car finally slowed, its taillights glowing like embers before it turned smoothly into the driveway of Villa No. 1. Ling Qingcheng narrowed her beautiful eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering in shock.
"That scumbag... he actually lives in Villa No. 1?" she breathed, her knuckles white on the steering wheel. "The owner of Villa No. 1 is famously mysterious, their status meant to be utterly extraordinary. His identity must be prominent beyond imagination. Heh, I suppose if he weren't someone of such status, he wouldn't have those two stunning beauties wrapped around his finger, or have Sister Zhang Yaqian so completely infatuated."
A chilling question wormed its way into her mind.
"Does Sister Zhang Yaqian already know about this?"
Ling Qingcheng's emotions became a tangled mess. If Zhang Yaqian knew about his other women and was still willing to throw herself into that fiery pit, then there was little Ling Qingcheng could do without overstepping her bounds as a friend.
She resolved to sound her out later. She needed to know if Zhang Yaqian was aware of the situation or if she was being cruelly deceived.
If she was being deceived, Ling Qingcheng would help her, no matter the cost.
But if she was willing... then Ling Qingcheng could say nothing more. After all, it was Zhang Yaqian's own life to live.
Just as she was lost in thought, a notification, cold and clear as a winter bell, chimed in Shen Anyu's mind.
[Ding! Detected host's investment target, Zhang Zhiyun. His Yin Corpse Devil Swordplay has reached Grand Completion. Returning Grand Completion-level Yin Corpse Devil Swordplay Sword Intent!]
...
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