Chapter 731: I, Ling Qingcheng, and Shen Anyu Are Innocent!
The moment the call connected, before Zhang Yaqian could even utter a word, Ling Qingcheng's voice spilled out in a rush. "Yaqian, you've misunderstood! Shen Anyu and I are completely innocent. Our relationship isn't what the rumors are saying."
"Qingcheng, is that really true?"
Zhang Yaqian's voice, as pure and clear as spring water, trickled through the phone and into Ling Qingcheng's ear.
"It's true, absolutely true," Ling Qingcheng replied, a trace of guilt coloring her tone. "Shen Anyu and I... we're not together anymore."
"Then why are people saying these things?" Zhang Yaqian asked, her voice laced with a delicate, almost childlike confusion.
"That's... that's because—" Ling Qingcheng frantically searched her mind for an excuse. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as a perfect justification formed. "It's because of you! Shen Anyu was trying to help me deal with that lecherous Second Young Master of the Yu family. He publicly claimed I was his woman to get him to back off. The whole thing is just a complete misunderstanding. I was going to tell you about it, really."
"Yes, yes, that's exactly it," she repeated, her voice gaining a desperate conviction. "Shen Anyu loves you so much, Yaqian. Please don't overthink this."
Listening to Ling Qingcheng's frantic explanation, Zhang Yaqian hummed softly to herself.
'Qingcheng, ever since we were children, you've had a tell. Whenever you lie, you always repeat yourself. Did you really think you could still fool me?'
On the surface, Zhang Yaqian was the picture of purity and innocence, but beneath that facade was a sharp and cunning mind. She knew instantly that Ling Qingcheng was lying.
However, she didn't expose the lie. Instead, she adopted an innocent tone. "I knew it! I knew my Qingcheng would never betray me. Those rumors must be fake."
"Yes, yes," Ling Qingcheng murmured, the guilt in her heart growing heavier with each word.
"But even if Qingcheng did lie to me, it's okay," Zhang Yaqian said suddenly, her tone shifting. "I can accept Qingcheng and Brother Shen being together."
"Ah?" Ling Qingcheng was stunned into silence, unable to believe what she had just heard. Did Zhang Yaqian just say she would accept her and Shen Anyu?
"That's right," Zhang Yaqian continued with a light giggle, a strange glint dancing in her bright eyes. "Qingcheng and I have such a wonderful relationship. It's perfectly fine if we're both with Brother Shen."
'Brother Shen is such a flirt, and Qingcheng is so beautiful,'Zhang Yaqian thought, her mind racing.'Since he publicly announced she's his woman, he definitely won't let her go. But judging from Qingcheng's reaction, she must feel incredibly guilty and uneasy about me. She has too many reservations, which is why she hasn't fully accepted Brother Shen yet.'
It had to be said, Zhang Yaqian possessed an extraordinary intelligence and an unnerving ability to read people. She had already discerned the complicated thoughts swirling in both Ling Qingcheng's and Shen Anyu's minds.
At that moment, Zhang Yaqian pursed her pink lips, a sly look gracing her pure and charming face as a plan began to form.
'This is an opportunity.'
After meeting Wu Shenyun, Bai Bing, Liu Ruyan, Zhong Lingyin, and the other exceptionally outstanding women surrounding Shen Anyu, Zhang Yaqian had long abandoned the notion of having him all to herself. In fact, she felt an immense pressure, a constant fear that she couldn't possibly compare to them.
If an outsider were to hear her thoughts, they would find it utterly unbelievable. As the First Young Lady of Hangzhou, as beautiful as an elven princess and the sole heir to a fortune worth tens of billions, she still felt inadequate.
But Zhang Yaqian knew the truth. The man she loved was simply too extraordinary. How could women like Wu Shenyun be considered ordinary? One was a superstar diva known across the nation, another the eldest young lady of a prestigious clan from the capital, and yet another was an assassin queen, a Land Immortal who held dominion over Southern Xinjiang. As a young lady from a wealthy family, she might match them in beauty, but the disparity in their other qualities was vast.
"Yaqian, you've really misunderstood! Shen Anyu and I are completely innocent, there is absolutely nothing going on between us," Ling Qingcheng said quickly, snapping back to her senses.
She didn't believe for a second that Zhang Yaqian would agree to share Shen Anyu without a hint of jealousy. This had to be a test. Putting herself in Zhang Yaqian's shoes, Ling Qingcheng knew she would never agree to such a thing.
"Hehe, then let's make a bet," Zhang Yaqian proposed, her eyes twinkling as she smiled sweetly. "If I ever discover that you and Brother Shen are secretly together, then from that day on, you'll have to call me 'JieJie' and be my little sister. How about it?"
"Okay! It's a bet," Ling Qingcheng agreed immediately, desperate to reassure her friend.
On the other side of the city, Shen Anyu observed the entire phone call through his nanometer monitoring robots. A faint smile touched his lips, but he wasn't surprised in the least.
Zhang Yaqian was an incredibly smart woman; she wasn't the type to throw a tantrum over something like this.
Beep beep. The next moment, a message from Zhang Yaqian appeared on his phone.
"Brother Shen, you're so bad!"
He typed back a reply. "It's the bad boys who get the good girls, my dear Yaqian. I'll be sure to compensate you double in a couple of days."
"It's a deal. Otherwise, I'll get really angry."
After a few more sweet nothings that coaxed Zhang Yaqian into sweetly calling him 'good husband,' Shen Anyu finally ended the conversation.
Just then, his bedroom door creaked open. Zhou Luyao slipped inside, quietly closing the door behind her before throwing herself into his arms.
"Brother Shen," she purred, "I finally waited until Yiyi fell asleep. You haven't been waiting too long, have you?"
Zhou Luyao's eyes were hazy with desire as she looked up at him, her charming and delicate face breaking into a soft giggle. She was dressed in an alluring black nightdress, the thin straps subtly revealing her shoulders. Her skin was as tender, smooth, and fair as flawless cream. Beneath the silk, her ample chest was full and inviting, and her waist was so slender it seemed a single hand could encircle it.
"Waiting for my Yaoyao? No matter how late, it's always worth it," Shen Anyu murmured, the sweet words flowing effortlessly from his lips.
The lights in the room dimmed to a warm, intimate glow as Zhou Luyao entwined herself around him like a water snake.
"Zhou Luyao!!!"
Outside the door, He Yiyi bit down hard on her lip, her pearly teeth sinking into the soft flesh. She clenched her small fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white, a faint cracking sound echoing in the silent hallway.
She was furious. Truly, incandescently furious!
That vixen, Zhou Luyao, was too cunning! She had actually snuck into Brother Shen's room in the middle of the night.
Did she really think He Yiyi was asleep?
After the events of the day, He Yiyi had been wary. Now, her suspicions were confirmed. There was definitely something wrong with Zhou Luyao.
He Yiyi's eyes grew slightly red, and a wave of fury made her chest so tight it felt as if it might burst.
What to do? What should she do?
Her childhood friend was sleeping with her boyfriend. What was she supposed to do?
A strong-willed, stubborn woman would have stormed in, torn the vixen to shreds, kicked the scumbag to the curb, and broken up with him on the spot.
But He Yiyi didn't have that kind of personality. She was gentle and yielding, even a little timid and weak. The thought of charging in there was simply beyond her.
Besides, He Yiyi knew, strictly speaking, that she wasn't his main girlfriend. With her status and background, she was hardly a worthy match for the Young Master of Yanxia's Shen Clan.
At this moment, she wasn't particularly angry with Shen Anyu. He had been so good to her, the very picture of her dream boyfriend. The most she felt was a slight, aching resentment.
But towards Zhou Luyao, her childhood friend, her best friend... all she felt was pure, unadulterated rage.
She called her a good friend, but she was secretly stealing her man?
'Zhou Luyao is too shameless!' He Yiyi seethed. Zhou Luyao had a boyfriend, yet here she was, sneaking into Brother Shen's room late at night.
If Zhou Luyao were standing in front of her right now, even He Yiyi, with her famously good temper, wouldn't be able to resist slapping her.
'No, I can't let that woman get away with this.'
He Yiyi's heart churned with turmoil. On impulse, she pulled out her phone and found Zhou Luyao's number. Her finger hovered over the call button, trembling.
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