Chapter 720: Ren Zhacheng: Damn You, Shen Anyu!
"Yao Yao, come over here! Let me introduce you."
"This is my boyfriend, Shen Anyu."
"Brother Shen, this is my good friend, Zhou Luyao."
Seeing Zhou Luyao frozen in place, He Yiyi stood and eagerly pulled her over, making the introductions with a bright, enthusiastic smile.
Zhou Luyao's gaze locked onto Shen Anyu. She bit lightly on her full, red lower lip, her beautiful eyes swirling with a deep and complicated resentment.
"Hello, Yao Yao," Shen Anyu greeted with a relaxed smile, his eyes leisurely appraising the woman before him.
After his 'baptism', Zhou Luyao had blossomed, becoming even more stunningly radiant. She carried herself with a newfound confidence, her head held high. Gone was the impoverished girl trying to pass off cheap knock-offs as luxury bags. Now, she was draped head-to-toe in the finest brands, exuding an aura of effortless wealth. She was the very picture of a fashionable, beautiful heiress.
Her wine-red hair fell in soft, voluminous waves over a magnificent, flowing dress. She possessed the kind of beauty that created distance, an aristocratic air that would make an ordinary man feel utterly inadequate, like a rat scurrying back to its hole, too intimidated to even approach.
But Shen Anyu knew exactly what splendors lay hidden beneath that luxurious gown. He knew the truth of the saying: a peerless beauty whose chest is so full, she cannot see her own feet when she looks down.
He was, however, a little surprised by He Yiyi's sheer enthusiasm. According to his background checks, He Yiyi and Zhou Luyao were classic 'frenemies,' their so-called best-friendship a superficial performance. Yet here they were, acting like the closest of confidantes. The dynamics between women were truly a fascinating thing.
"Hello, Brother Shen." Hearing Shen Anyu's casual greeting, Zhou Luyao finally stirred. She shot him a smoldering glare before forcing a polite smile and returning the greeting.
He Yiyi found her friend's behavior rather odd.
In her memory, Zhou Luyao had always been aloof and proud. Even Tang Kun, her long-suffering and devoted pursuer, could barely get a kind word out of her. This was especially true recently. After supposedly finding a rich and handsome boyfriend and moving into a luxury villa in Jinxiu Mountain Villa, she had become as proud as a peacock, looking down on everyone and constantly flaunting her new life on social media.
So why was she now addressing Shen Anyu as "Brother Shen" in such a sweet, almost intimate tone?
With a subtle twist of her supple waist, Zhou Luyao gracefully sat down opposite the couple, her smile widening. "Yiyi, your boyfriend is so handsome," she cooed. "Almost as handsome as mine."
He Yiyi snorted inwardly. She highly doubted Zhou Luyao's mysterious boyfriend could hold a candle to her Brother Shen, but she didn't challenge the claim directly. Instead, she hugged Shen Anyu's arm tighter and said sweetly, "I'm quite curious about your boyfriend too, Yao Yao. Why don't you call him over? We can all go shopping together."
At that, He Yiyi tilted her head, looking up at Shen Anyu with an adorable pout. "Brother Shen, is that okay?"
"Of course, no problem at all," Shen Anyu readily agreed.
Zhou Luyao rolled her eyes at him before replying with a theatrical sigh, "I'd love to ask my boyfriend to come shopping, but unfortunately, that scoundrel is busy attending to his thousands of other women. Who knows which little vixen has his attention right now."
"Yao Yao, your boyfriend has other women?" He Yiyi asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
"My boyfriend is just that amazing. I can't possibly keep him all to myself," Zhou Luyao said, seemingly answering He Yiyi, but her smoldering gaze was fixed directly on Shen Anyu, her words laced with a clear, pointed meaning.
'So this stunning beauty is that open-minded!'
Ren Zhacheng, who had been trying to make himself small in a corner of the cafe, immediately perked up. If he could win over a woman like that, life would be wonderful!
Shen Anyu merely offered a faint, noncommittal smile.
But in the next moment, a tingling sensation traced its way up his right ankle.
It was Zhou Luyao. She had slipped off one of her high heels, and her elegant foot, clad in a fine Valentino stocking, was now gently stroking his leg. Concealed by the long tablecloth, the audacious act was completely hidden from view.
Beside Shen Anyu, He Yiyi heard Zhou Luyao's reply and her pink lips parted, but no words came out. In truth, Zhou Luyao's words had struck a chord deep within her.
She understood Zhou Luyao's situation perfectly, because she was living it herself.
The gap in status between her and Shen Anyu was an immense chasm. She didn't dare dream of being his primary partner or compete with the likes of CEO Ling Qingcheng. All she hoped for was to secure a small place by his side.
Suddenly, He Yiyi felt a strange sense of kinship with Zhou Luyao. Her initial desire to show off Shen Anyu and put her friend in her place had largely evaporated.
The three of them continued to chat and sip their coffee, but beneath the table, an entirely different, far more thrilling drama was unfolding.
Shen Anyu raised an eyebrow. Zhou Luyao was getting bolder. Her stockinged foot traveled from his ankle, up his calf, and continued its daring ascent.
In broad daylight, no less.
Zhou Luyao's eyes glinted with a cunning, playful light. Her red lips parted slightly as she silently mouthed a challenge to Shen Anyu: Good brother, you'd better maintain your self-control!
A smirk touched Shen Anyu's lips. Had Ji Xiaolin really told Zhou Luyao about that? 'Self-control' was a secret code, an inside joke between him and Ji Xiaolin.
However, how could the great Young Master Shen ever be played by a woman? The reverse was far more likely.
While his left arm remained linked with He Yiyi's, his posture as steady as a mountain, his right hand slipped silently beneath the tablecloth. With practiced ease, he caught Zhou Luyao's slender, jade-like foot and firmly placed it upon his own knee.
The sudden capture and elevation of her left leg caused Zhou Luyao's body to tilt precariously. A small gasp almost escaped her lips.
"Yao Yao, what's wrong?" He Yiyi asked, looking at her friend with a strange expression.
"No, nothing," Zhou Luyao forced herself to remain calm, managing a smile. She then shot a subtle, pleading glance at Shen Anyu, her red lips parting again to form silent words: Good brother, please let Yao Yao go. I know I was wrong.
Zhou Luyao was delicate and soft. Although she had begun cultivating the Martial God Art, her training was still in its early stages. With her left leg held aloft like this, her entire body was nearly lifted from her seat. Worse, she had to pretend everything was normal so He Yiyi wouldn't notice a thing.
Maintaining such a one-legged, half-squatting posture was absolute torture.
In just a few moments, a fine sheen of fragrant sweat had broken out across her fair, delicate forehead. Her heart was filled with a bitter regret. She had truly woven a cocoon for herself, played with fire, and gotten badly burned.
Shen Anyu, however, was not feeling charitable. The smile on his handsome face only widened. His right hand toyed with her foot, appreciating the fine texture of the Valentino stocking. Perhaps the coffee shop's air conditioning was set a bit low, for her skin felt cool to the touch, as smooth as polished jade. It was an indescribably wonderful sensation.
While Young Master Shen was thoroughly enjoying himself, Zhou Luyao was in agony.
She was practically on the verge of tears. A one-legged squat was simply too demanding for a delicate girl like her, especially while trying to maintain a perfect poker face for He Yiyi.
Regret flooded her. Why, oh why had she provoked this wicked man of hers? He was simply too cruel!
"Yao Yao, are you not feeling well? Why are you sweating so much?"
He Yiyi stood up, pressing the back of her hand to Zhou Luyao's forehead in a gesture of concern.
This was Hangzhou at the end of August, and it was still sweltering outside. But inside the air-conditioned coffee shop, there was no reason for her to be sweating like this. And Zhou Luyao's complexion didn't look right, either.
Although He Yiyi had wanted to compete with her friend, she was fundamentally a kind-hearted girl. Seeing Zhou Luyao looking so unwell, she was genuinely worried.
'Is this beautiful woman sick? Is she having some kind of attack?'Ren Zhacheng also found it strange. He leaned forward, trying to get a better look, as if he had discovered something. His eyes slowly widened in disbelief.'Damn it… That bastard Shen Anyu!'
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