Chapter 570: Zhang Zhiyun Was Depressed, and Shen Anyu Laughed Aloud!
"Shen An, why are you looking for me?" Ji Xiaolin stopped running and looked at Shen Anyu with a huff, her bright, beautiful eyes holding a hint of expectation. Could it be that Shen Anyu had recalled that everything wasn't a dream and came to find her? Although it was very awkward, Ji Xiaolin couldn't suppress the rising curve of her lips. She regretted it immensely these past few days. She should have known not to use a memory-confusing spell on Shen Anyu to avoid awkwardness, and even tricked Shen Anyu into believing it was all just a dream. As a result, Shen Anyu really stopped paying attention to her. Previously, Zhou Luyao had shown off to her in various ways, making her heart ache, and then Zhou Luyao's words about forming an Alliance made Ji Xiaolin's heart pound even more. It was just that she valued her pride too much to take that step herself. If Shen Anyu took the initiative, even just a little, she would agree. As for Shen Anyu having other women, Ji Xiaolin didn't care. Her personality was eccentric, to put it bluntly, she was rebellious and didn't care about rules, as long as Shen Anyu cared about her the most.
Shen Anyu noticed Zhang Zhiyun's arrival out of the corner of his eye, a subtle, predatory glint flickering in his gaze before vanishing. He turned his full attention back to Ji Xiaolin, his expression softening into one of warm, disarming concern. He smiled, a perfectly calibrated expression that seemed both friendly and intimate.
"Aren't you my Yaoyao's good best friend and good classmate?" he said, his voice a smooth, placating murmur. "I just happened to run into you on the road and saw you were in a bad mood, so I followed to see, afraid something might happen to you."
"Because of Zhou Luyao?"
The name hit Ji Xiaolin like a splash of cold water. The hopeful flutter in her chest died instantly, replaced by a familiar surge of irritation and disappointment. Her face fell, the brief warmth draining away, leaving behind a frosty mask. She turned her head away, suddenly unwilling to even look at him, let alone speak.
Meanwhile, Zhang Zhiyun, who had been creeping closer like a hunter stalking his prey, finally heard enough to piece together a comforting narrative. He let out a silent, internal sigh of relief. 'So, they aren't together. This Shen An is just the boyfriend of her friend.' The knot of anxiety in his stomach loosened, but as his eyes fell upon Shen Anyu, a different kind of tension took its place. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the man's relaxed posture, his handsome face, and the effortless confidence he projected grated on Zhang Zhiyun's nerves. It was an instinctual dislike, a primal sense of territoriality flaring up.
Ignoring the unwelcome sensation, Zhang Zhiyun decided it was time to make his grand entrance. He strode forward, composing his features into a mask of deep concern as he approached Ji Xiaolin.
"Xiao Lin, are you alright?" he asked, his voice filled with feigned tenderness.
Zhang Zhiyun was certain he knew the source of her foul mood. It had to be the trauma from the Wan Fa Sect's vile scheme. She had lost her most precious treasure, and now she was surely wallowing in despair, feeling unworthy of him, her brilliant fiancé. A wave of magnanimity washed over him. He would be the bigger person. He would show her that he, Zhang Zhiyun, was above such worldly concerns. He would tell her that her purity didn't matter, that they could start over, that the past was the past.
'Yes,' he thought, a thrill of anticipation running through him. 'Moved by my generosity and profound love, she will surely fall head over heels for me. She'll see my true worth and finally give herself to me completely.' The thought sent a jolt of excitement through his body, and the gloom that had been clinging to him since his injury began to dissipate, replaced by a smug sense of impending victory.
"Zhang Zhiyun? Why aren't you dead yet?"
Ji Xiaolin's voice was sharp, cutting through his pleasant fantasy. She stared at him, her eyes wide with genuine surprise, not the tearful gratitude he had been expecting. She remembered seeing him after he'd been struck by the Master of Myriad Dharma Sect's Myriad Curses Sword. He had been a wretched, broken thing, seemingly on the brink of death. And yet here he stood, looking mostly intact.
[Ding! Child of Destiny Zhang Zhiyun is depressed. Plundering +5555 Destiny Points!]
The System's chime rang sweetly in Shen Anyu's mind, but the words echoed like a death knell in Zhang Zhiyun's.
'What… what did she just say? Why aren't I dead yet?'
The world seemed to tilt on its axis. He had imagined a tearful reunion, a heartfelt confession, a passionate embrace. Instead, her first words were a shocked inquiry into his continued existence. The humiliation was a physical blow, knocking the air from his lungs. His carefully constructed facade of the magnanimous fiancé crumbled into dust.
'An illusion, it must be an illusion,' he desperately told himself, scrambling to rebuild his shattered ego. 'She's just speaking in opposites because she's flustered. She's worried about me! Yes, that's it. She's deeply concerned for me, her one and only fiancé.'
He clung to this delusion as if it were a life raft. He forced a smile back onto his face, though it felt stiff and unnatural. He intensified his gaze, trying to project an overwhelming aura of affection.
"Thanks to Uncle for saving me, I survived," he said, his voice a touch too loud, a little too strained. "And the first thing I did was come down the mountain to find you!"
"Oh," Ji Xiaolin replied, her tone flat and utterly devoid of interest. She was already annoyed. Her fragile hope of a private moment with Shen Anyu had been shattered by the arrival of this insufferable man, and her mood soured completely.
"Xiao Lin, Uncle said you've been in a bad mood lately and came out for a morning run without eating breakfast," Zhang Zhiyun pressed on, completely oblivious to her chilling indifference. In fact, her coldness only fueled his desire. "Let me take you to breakfast. You can eat whatever you want, I'll pay!"
He stared at her, mesmerized. In this moment, with her brow furrowed in annoyance and her beautiful face set in a cold, aloof expression, she looked like an untouchable ice queen, a goddess descended to the mortal world. The sight was breathtaking.
But then, his gaze drifted to the space between her eyebrows. The faint, almost imperceptible aura of her primal essence was scattered. She was no longer pure. The thought was a dagger twisting in his gut. A venomous, white-hot rage surged through him, directed at the unknown bastard who had dared to touch his property. A vicious promise formed in the depths of his soul: he would find that man. He would subject him to tortures beyond imagination before tearing him limb from limb. The hatred he felt for this phantom rival dwarfed even his hatred for the Wan Fa Sect.
"Xiao Lin, I searched online and found a Michelin three-star restaurant that serves excellent breakfast. How about I take you there?" Despite the murderous storm raging within him, Zhang Zhiyun's outward expression remained one of beaming enthusiasm. He puffed out his chest, a flicker of pride in his eyes. He possessed the Supreme Black Card, a gift from his Master at the Tianshi Sect. It was a globally recognized symbol of immense wealth and power, with no spending limit. He could buy her anything, even the entire restaurant, without a second thought.
Ji Xiaolin's delicate brows knitted together, her patience wearing dangerously thin. "Zhang Zhiyun, your injuries haven't fully healed yet. Go back to the mountain and recuperate."
"Xiao Lin, I didn't expect you to care about me so much!" Zhang Zhiyun's heart soared. He felt a wave of triumphant vindication. He knew it! She did care! "But it's fine, those minor injuries don't affect me much."
Shen Anyu had to physically restrain himself from laughing. The sheer density of this Child of Destiny was almost an art form. 'This guy is a textbook straight man,' he thought, thoroughly amused. 'Can he really not hear the sheer contempt dripping from her every word?' Then again, it wasn't entirely surprising. Zhang Zhiyun had grown up in the hyper-masculine, isolated environment of the Tianshi Sect, surrounded by fellow cultivators. He likely hadn't spoken to a woman his own age in his entire life. His understanding of them was probably based on ancient, chivalrous texts that had no bearing on reality.
Ji Xiaolin simply rolled her eyes, her patience finally snapping. She wasn't known for her placid temperament, and she saw no reason to spare his feelings.
"Zhang Zhiyun, I don't want to eat breakfast with you, alright?" she said, her voice sharp and brutally direct. "Can you please get out of my sight?"
[Ding! Child of Destiny Zhang Zhiyun is heartbroken. Plundering +6666 Destiny Points!]
The System's reward felt like another nail in his coffin. Zhang Zhiyun felt something inside him shatter. The public rejection, delivered with such casual cruelty, was more painful than any physical wound. He could feel the eyes of passersby on him, their gazes a mixture of pity and mockery. But the most galling of all was the sight of Shen Anyu, standing off to the side, a barely concealed smirk playing on his lips. That man's presence was a profound and personal insult.
A cold fury replaced his heartbreak. Zhang Zhiyun turned on Shen Anyu, his face a thunderous mask.
"Why haven't you left yet?" he growled, his voice low and threatening.
He could tell Shen Anyu was from a wealthy background. The Rolls-Royce parked discreetly down the street was a clear indicator, even if he didn't recognize the specific model. But Zhang Zhiyun didn't care. He was the Young Master of the Tianshi Sect, a future Celestial Master, a man destined to walk the path of a Land Immortal. In his eyes, mortal wealth and status were nothing but fleeting illusions. A car? With his Supreme Black Card, he could buy a hundred of them if he wished.
What was this handsome, smirking pretty boy doing so close to his fiancée? If he hadn't overheard their earlier conversation, he would have already crippled him for daring to covet what was his. 'Heh, daring to stand in my presence after I've been disrespected… this man is courting death!'
Shen Anyu completely ignored Zhang Zhiyun. He didn't even grant him a sideways glance. To Shen Anyu, Zhang Zhiyun was merely a tool, a source of Destiny Points to be milked. While he wouldn't kill him just yet, there was absolutely no reason to be cordial. If this Child of Destiny dared to get in his face, he would be swatted away like a fly.
Instead, Shen Anyu turned his charming smile back to the stunned Ji Xiaolin, his voice dropping to a gentle, intimate tone that was for her ears alone.
"Xiao Lin, seeing you're in a bad mood, I'll take you to a hidden gem of a breakfast place. It'll definitely cheer you up."
Ji Xiaolin looked at Shen Anyu with some surprise, forgetting to reply for a moment. Shen Anyu was actually taking her to breakfast, without Zhou Luyao?
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