Chapter 728: I Won't Be Lonely Tonight
'Probably not.'
Zhou Luyao thought to herself. How could a simple, silly girl like He Yiyi possibly notice anything was amiss?
She was confident she had concealed it perfectly.
"Yaoyao, my Brother Shen is wonderful in every way, but he's quite a pervert. You have to be careful not to let him take advantage of you."
Just then, He Yiyi dropped this bombshell out of nowhere.
The unexpected words sent a faint blush creeping up Zhou Luyao's beautiful face. Facing He Yiyi's earnest, burning gaze, she felt a sudden pang of guilt.
It was far too late for warnings about "taking advantage." She had long since been thoroughly and completely taken by Shen Anyu.
Besides, why would she be afraid of him taking advantage of her? She secretly wished he would do it more often.
'Something's wrong,'Zhou Luyao's mind raced.'Why would Yiyi suddenly say that? Could she have seen something before she went to the restroom?'
A flicker of suspicion entered her eyes. She decided to probe.
"Yiyi, I think Brother Shen is a great person—upright and honorable, not some kind of pervert. Are you just saying that because you're afraid I'll fall for him? Are you trying to slander him in front of me?"
Zhou Luyao's words immediately made He Yiyi choke. Her panic intensified when she saw Shen Anyu walking back into the coffee shop from outside. She waved her hands in frantic denial.
"How could I? I would never slander Brother Shen! Don't say things like that."
A sly smile, like that of a fox who had just stolen a chicken, played on Zhou Luyao's lips. She turned to Shen Anyu, her voice laced with mock grievance.
"Brother Shen, Yiyi just called you a pervert. She told me to be wary of you so I don't get taken advantage of. Is that true?"
"Brother Shen, I—I—I didn't mean it like that!" He Yiyi was so anxious she was on the verge of tears, her hands flailing as she tried to explain.
"Alright, alright. I believe you." Shen Anyu gently patted He Yiyi's head, then shot a conspiratorial wink at Zhou Luyao. "You've rested long enough. I'll take you two shopping."
True to his word, Shen Anyu led them on a whirlwind shopping spree, buying them anything and everything they looked at.
Luxury clothes and handbags worth tens or even hundreds of thousands were bagged without a second thought. When they passed a jewelry store, he didn't even bat an eye at pieces worth millions.
He Yiyi soon found her arms laden with designer bags and gift boxes, but there was little joy on her face. Her brow was furrowed with suspicion, her gaze darting between Shen Anyu and Zhou Luyao.
Something was fishy.
There was definitely something fishy going on.
Between Zhou Luyao and Brother Shen, there was something very, very fishy!
Shen Anyu hadn't just bought things for her; he had showered Zhou Luyao with gifts, already totaling several million.
If there wasn't something going on between them, He Yiyi would eat her new hat.
She didn't dare to ask Shen Anyu directly, so she leaned over and whispered her doubts to Zhou Luyao.
Zhou Luyao, however, simply met her gaze with eyes curved into happy crescents, a delicate, foxy smile on her lips. She offered only two words in response: "Guess what?"
'Guess your sister!'
'Riddlers can go to hell!'
Even with He Yiyi's famously good temper, she was about to explode.
"Perhaps Brother Shen is giving me these things because I'm your best friend?" Zhou Luyao added, her expression a perfect picture of smiling innocence.
He Yiyi considered it. There was a sliver of logic there. She knew Shen Anyu's true identity as the Young Master of Yanxia's Shen Clan. For someone like him, spending a few million on gifts was like pocket change.
And yet, a knot of unease remained. That video sent by the stranger was just too strange.
Did Brother Shen forcefully kiss Zhou Luyao, or did Zhou Luyao seduce Brother Shen?
The question was buried deep in He Yiyi's heart, tormenting her.
She found a quiet moment to send a message back to the stranger who had sent the video, but her query went unanswered.
Somewhere else, Ren Zhacheng was curled in a ball. 'The pain of losing everything... It hurts... It hurts so much...'
By evening, Shen Anyu was behind the wheel of a brand-new Maybach, personally driving Zhou Luyao back to a villa in the Jinxiu Mountain Villa district. He Yiyi came along for the ride.
Gazing at the palatial, luxurious villa before her, He Yiyi's eyes were wide with shock. She turned to Zhou Luyao, her voice a stammer.
"Yaoyao, is... is this villa really yours?"
"Absolutely," Zhou Luyao replied, her voice brimming with pride.
"But this is the most exclusive villa area in all of Hangzhou! A location this good, this spacious, this luxurious... it must be worth a small fortune! Did your boyfriend really give you such an expensive gift?" He Yiyi was utterly astonished.
She and Zhou Luyao had been best friends for years. She knew her friend had always dreamed of marrying into wealth, but to think she had actually found a benefactor so powerful and generous...
"Envious, aren't you?" Zhou Luyao basked in He Yiyi's admiring gaze, her hands nearly resting on her slender waist as an irrepressible smile bloomed across her face.
"Hmph, I'm not envious at all." He Yiyi snorted lightly, then looped her arm through Shen Anyu's and declared proudly, "I have Brother Shen. I'm perfectly content."
Noticing the soft pressure against his arm, Shen Anyu smiled and playfully tapped He Yiyi's delicate nose. "That's right."
Zhou Luyao rolled her eyes. Her gaze shifted, and a mischievous thought sparked in her mind. A new smile, full of intent, spread across her face.
"It's getting late. Why don't you and Brother Shen stay here for the night? You can have a look around, too."
He Yiyi looked up at Shen Anyu, her expression clearly asking for his opinion.
Shen Anyu's eyes met Zhou Luyao's. He saw the way the little vixen was secretly flirting with him, her charming eyes full of promise. He understood her meaning perfectly and gave a slight nod. "Alright, we'll stay for the night. It's a good chance for you two best friends to catch up."
'Tonight,'he thought, a slow smile touching his lips,'probably won't be lonely.'
Meanwhile, on the other side of town.
After her Martial God Art broke through to the first level, Zhang Yaqian excitedly came out of seclusion, eager to share the good news with Shen Anyu. She was disappointed to find that he wasn't at Villa No. 1 in Jinxiu Mountain Villa.
She sent him a message, and his reply came quickly: he was out and wouldn't be home tonight.
After a brief exchange of sweet nothings, the conversation ended.
Zhang Yaqian held her phone in her jade-like hand, a hint of resentment clouding her exquisitely beautiful face as she pouted her pink lips.
"Brother Shen must be with other women. Are the five of us at Villa Number One not enough to keep him occupied?"
Inside Jinxiu Mountain Villa's No. 1 Villa, there were Wu Shenyun, Bai Bing, Liu Ruyan, Zhong Lingyin, and herself.
However, Wu Shenyun and Bai Bing had been in deep seclusion for some time. Spurred on by their immense cultivation strength, Liu Ruyan had also begun to cultivate in seclusion, terrified of being left behind.
After all, Wu Shenyun was a Land Immortal, and Bai Bing was a powerful Heavenly Human.
Even Heavenly Queen Zhong Lingyin, after finishing her latest film, had turned down numerous invitations and events to focus on her own secluded cultivation.
Unless Shen Anyu returned, none of the women would emerge.
Although Zhang Yaqian also wanted to continue cultivating, she decided it was more important to go tell her father, Zhang Yunhai, the good news so he wouldn't worry.
Besides, she was planning to bring some of her personal belongings and clothes over to live permanently in Villa No. 1.
The Zhang family also resided in the Jinxiu Mountain Villa district, at Villa No. 7, only three or four li away from Villa No. 1.
Having reached the first level of the Martial God Art, Zhang Yaqian was now at the Innate Martial Dao level from the very start. Her figure moved like a wisp of smoke, and she arrived back at her family's home in no time at all.
"Daddy, you're home?" Zhang Yaqian was a little surprised to see her perpetually busy father home so early.
Zhang Yunhai looked at his beloved daughter and beamed.
"Yaqian, you've been staying with General Manager Ling these past few days. Did you happen to see Master Shen?"
"Huh?" Zhang Yaqian's pure, intelligent eyes widened slightly in confusion. "Why would I see Master Shen at Ling Qingcheng's place?"
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