Chapter 732: He Yiyi: Wait, That's an Option?
"Yao Yao, where did you go? Why aren't you in your room?"
"Yiyi, you're awake? I… I'm out for a jog."
"A jog? It's the middle of the night. Where could you possibly be jogging?"
"Oh, I have a habit of jogging late at night. It's fine, I'll be back soon."
"Yao Yao… then why does your voice sound so faint? And you keep cutting out…"
"I told you, I'm jogging… Mmm… I can't talk anymore, hanging up now."
He Yiyi clutched her phone, her bright, wide eyes simmering with a fury that threatened to boil over.
You, Zhou Luyao! I'm breaking up with you! We are done!
At four-thirty in the morning, Zhou Luyao dragged her exhausted body back to the room, only to be greeted by the glare of the overhead lights. He Yiyi was sitting bolt upright on the sofa, her arms crossed, her gaze fixed on the door with undisguised hostility.
Zhou Luyao, however, showed not a flicker of guilt. A lazy smile played on her lips as she addressed her friend.
"Yiyi, you're still up. Perfect. Pour me a glass of water, would you? I'm a little dehydrated."
The words were like fuel on the fire. He Yiyi ground her teeth, the sound barely audible but full of menace. Her eyes swept over Zhou Luyao, taking in the slinky black lace nightgown and the delicate slippers on her bare feet.
"Zhou Luyao," she began, her voice dangerously low, "you went jogging in that outfit? For several hours?"
Did she take her for a complete fool? He Yiyi knew she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but she was far from an idiot.
"I just ran a few laps around the villa. The grounds here at Jinxiu Mountain Villa are quite large, you know," Zhou Luyao replied, her expression perfectly placid. She then stumbled dramatically onto the sofa, pressing a hand to the small of her back while silently cursing Shen Anyu for being far too ferocious.
He Yiyi marched over and, without a word, hooked a finger under the hem of Zhou Luyao's black lace nightgown, lifting it just a few inches. A cold sneer twisted her lips as she saw the faint marks underneath.
"Zhou Luyao, you call this jogging?"
Her slender, jade-like finger pointed directly at the faint red blossoms on her friend's skin, her expression anything but kind.
A flicker of panic crossed Zhou Luyao's face, but she quickly masked it with a pained grin.
"I fell just now, it hurt so much… Don't, don't…"
Before she could finish her fabricated explanation, He Yiyi started to lift the hem higher, and true panic set in.
"Zhou Luyao, you're still spouting lies!" He Yiyi planted her hands on her hips, her cheeks puffed out as she glared. Her pure and delicate face, attempting to project the ferocity of a tiger, only managed to look like an adorable, angry kitten.
"I saw it with my own eyes! Zhou Luyao, you snuck into Brother Shen's room in the middle of the night! What exactly are you trying to do?"
"I…" Zhou Luyao opened her mouth to argue, hoping to keep her secret a little longer. She was rather enjoying the thrill of the clandestine affair; it had a certain flavor, a delicious excitement.
But it was too late. He Yiyi had already pulled out her phone and was showing her a video sent by a stranger.
"And it wasn't just now! This afternoon, outside the coffee shop restroom, you and Brother Shen were acting strange then, too."
"How is that possible?" Staring at the video, Zhou Luyao was genuinely astonished. Who could have filmed this?
"Zhou Luyao, you have a boyfriend! And you know Brother Shen is my boyfriend, yet you still did this! If you don't give me a proper explanation, I'm breaking up with you for good!" He Yiyi declared, her voice trembling with anger.
"Alright, alright. I'll explain," Zhou Luyao sighed, a hint of helplessness in her tone. It seemed the game was up.
"Hmph. Let's see how you try to squirm your way out of this one." He Yiyi kept her hands firmly on her hips, ready for a fight.
"The truth is," Zhou Luyao began, her voice calm, "I'm also Brother Shen's girlfriend. And I knew him even before you did."
"What?" The words struck He Yiyi like a physical blow, leaving her stunned and speechless.
Zhou Luyao was already Shen Anyu's girlfriend?
"Of course, it's true. This luxury villa in the Jinxiu Mountain Villa estate? Brother Shen gave it to me. It's worth over a hundred million," Zhou Luyao said, her eyes curving into triumphant crescents.
He Yiyi's mind reeled. If that was the case… then it wasn't Zhou Luyao who had wronged her, but she who had wronged Zhou Luyao?
Looking at her childhood friend, who was now smiling gently, He Yiyi's expression turned bitter.
"I… I'm sorry, Yao Yao. I didn't know that you and Brother Shen…"
"It's alright, I don't blame you." Before He Yiyi could finish her apology, Zhou Luyao took her small hand, shaking her head with a faint smile. "Besides, with a man of Brother Shen's status, why would he only have one woman?"
He Yiyi fell silent. She had a point. Even she already knew about President Ling, someone named Zhang Yaqian, and now, her best friend, Zhou Luyao.
At that moment, Zhou Luyao leaned in closer. "Yiyi, let's team up."
"Eh?" He Yiyi stared at her blankly. Team up for what?
"Brother Shen has too many women, and you know his identity now, right? He's the Young Master of Yanxia's Shen Clan. It's not going to be easy for us to compete for his favor. But if we join forces… I'm beautiful, and you're pure and charming. Together, we can create a kind of appeal where one plus one is greater than two."
Listening to Zhou Luyao's enthusiastic proposal, He Yiyi hesitated.
'Is this… appropriate?'
"It's extremely appropriate," Zhou Luyao said with absolute certainty. "With Brother Shen's status, he'd be the equivalent of a prince in ancient times. What's this compared to that?"
She gestured around the opulent room. "Look, this villa at Jinxiu Mountain Villa is worth over a hundred million, and Brother Shen just gave it away like it was nothing."
She squeezed He Yiyi's hand. "Tomorrow, you can sweet-talk Brother Shen and get him to give you one, too."
"As long as we serve Brother Shen well, what won't we have?"
"And he's so handsome, so considerate."
"Let me tell you a little secret," Zhou Luyao whispered, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur. "Brother Shen's body is… exceptional. You'll find out later just how pleasant it can be."
As she spoke, Zhou Luyao gave He Yiyi a knowing wink.
He Yiyi's pretty face flushed a deep crimson. She was, to her own surprise, moved by Zhou Luyao's words. After a moment of internal struggle, she gave a small, tentative nod.
With the pact sealed, Zhou Luyao and He Yiyi began to discuss the finer details of their new alliance.
"Good girl, Yao Yao. She must be rewarded handsomely!"
Shen Anyu watched the entire scene unfold through the nanometer monitoring robot, a pleased smile spreading across his face as the corners of his mouth turned up.
He was very, very pleased.
[Ding! Detected that the host's investment target, Anna, has reached the eleventh layer of the Martial God Art. Returning the cultivation of the eleventh layer of the Martial God Art!]
Just then, a clear system notification chimed in his mind.
Instantly, a boundless, immense power surged into Shen Anyu's body. His cultivation base skyrocketed, shattering the barrier of the Early Stage of Land Immortal and soaring directly into the Middle Stage.
But it didn't stop there. The torrent of power continued to pour in, pushing him past the threshold and into the Late Stage of Land Immortal.
This cataclysmic rush of power was only manageable because Shen Anyu possessed a foundation of deep depth and solidity. Otherwise, the sheer force of the influx might have propelled him straight to the peak of the Land Immortal realm, or even beyond.
'Anna, my darling, has actually broken through to the eleventh layer of the Martial God Art so quickly?'
Shen Anyu was both surprised and delighted.
Cultivating the Martial God Art became exponentially more difficult in its later stages. Even a peerless genius might struggle for a decade to advance a single layer.
Yet now, in less than a month, Anna had directly broken through to the eleventh layer, placing her at the very peak of the Land Immortal realm.
One had to remember that even Wu Shenyun, himself a Land Immortal, had only reached the fifth layer after switching his cultivation to the Martial God Art.
Anna's monstrous talent continued to shatter Shen Anyu's understanding of what was possible.
'Thankfully, she's my woman, and her favorability was maxed out long ago,' Shen Anyu sighed inwardly. 'Otherwise, I'd never be able to sleep soundly.'
My wife Anna is invincible!
Just then, his phone vibrated. It was a voice message from Anna.
He tapped the screen, and her sweet, delicate voice filled the air, laced with an almost cloying affection.
"Husband, if I seclude myself for just a little bit longer, Anna is confident she can break through to the twelfth layer of the Martial God Art and become a true Martial God!"
"Then Anna will come find Husband."
"Husband, Anna misses you so much, so, so, so much!"
"Also… Anna heard some very annoying rumors… saying Husband is with some Yu Guannan and Ling Qingcheng. It's fake, it must be fake! Those bad women must be coveting Husband… I will definitely not let them off…"
Young Master Shen froze.
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