Chapter 575: Zhang Zhiyun and Ji Xiaolin Break Off Their Relationship, and Zhang Zhiyun's Killing Intent Surges!
"Shen Anyu, what did you say? You bought YUHE Pavilion and gave it to me?" Ji Xiaolin looked at Shen Anyu with a face full of surprise, not knowing what Shen Anyu was up to. Wasn't YUHE Pavilion one of Shen Anyu's subordinate businesses? And why would he give it to her?
Just then, Ji Xiaolin seemed to remember something. A flicker of memory, hazy yet potent, surfaced in her mind. Could it be, she thought, could it be that Shen Anyu remembered everything in the basement and wanted to compensate her?
Thinking of this, Ji Xiaolin was a little shy and a little happy. Her initial confusion melted away, replaced by a warm, fluttering sensation in her chest. The memory of that dark, enclosed space, of a primal connection forged in absolute anonymity, sent a blush creeping up her neck.
Although she didn't care about money, she appreciated the gesture. It was the thought, the acknowledgment of what had passed between them, that mattered more than any sum.
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Zhang Zhiyun, is extremely annoyed. Plundering +9999 Destiny Points!]
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Zhang Zhiyun, is consumed by jealousy. Plundering +9999 Destiny Points!]
Zhang Zhiyun's mind threatened to crack. He watched, his knuckles white under the table, as Ji Xiaolin's elegant, melon-seed-shaped face flushed a delicate shade of crimson. He saw her lower her head, a gesture of such charming shyness that it felt like a physical blow to his gut. Every subtle movement, every bashful glance she stole at Shen Anyu, was a fresh torment. The air around him grew heavy, his own breathing turning into a harsh rasp in his ears.
It's just as I suspected, his thoughts screamed. He had been right all along. The veneer of a platonic friendship was a lie, a transparent and insulting facade. This Shen Anyu was no ridiculous 'male best friend'; he was a wolf, a predator circling his fiancée, and his intentions were as clear as day. The way he looked at her, the easy confidence in his posture—it was the look of a man who coveted what was not his.
There was no man alive who wouldn't be captivated by a peerless beauty like Ji Xiaolin. Her grace, her strength, her untamable spirit—they were the very qualities that had ensnared him from the moment he first laid eyes on her. It was why he had tolerated so much, why he had compromised and given in again and again. It had been, for him, a genuine love at first sight, a conviction that she was the only woman worthy of standing beside him, the future leader of the Tianshi Sect.
And now, watching this scene unfold, a frigid, murderous rage began to crystallize in his heart. The simmering resentment he'd felt towards Shen Anyu boiled over, solidifying into a razor-sharp killing intent that rose to its absolute peak. Every nerve in his body screamed for violence.
Shen Anyu has already found the path to his own death! He had trespassed, openly and arrogantly, on sacred ground. In Zhang Zhiyun's mind, a mental list took form. Besides the unknown bastard who took Ji Xiaolin's purity, Shen Anyu's name was now etched at the very top, marked in blood as an essential target to be eliminated.
"Of course, as long as you're happy," Shen Anyu said, his voice a smooth, captivating murmur. He smiled, and his famous peach blossom eyes, which always seemed to hold a profound depth even when looking at nothing, were now fixed on Ji Xiaolin with a tangible warmth and a hint of private meaning that excluded everyone else in the room.
What a fool, Shen Anyu thought, his amusement carefully masked. The dowry his cheap father-in-law, Zhang Tianen, had offered from the Wan Fa Sect was worth more than a hundred YUHE Pavilions combined. This was merely pocket change in the grand scheme of things.
Not to mention, the System had a unique mechanic. Any money given to a Destined Heroine would be returned a hundredfold once her favorability reached its maximum. It was an investment with an impossible return. From a purely logical standpoint, Shen Anyu wouldn't lose out at all. Of course, he had no intention of actually giving YUHE Pavilion to Ji Xiaolin. Not now, at least. Perhaps later, when the stage was perfectly set.
Breaking his gaze from the blushing girl, Shen Anyu turned to the General Manager of YUHE Pavilion, his smile unwavering.
"Sixty billion is too expensive," he said, his tone that of a shrewd but reasonable negotiator. "How about this, I'll offer twenty billion to buy YUHE Pavilion."
The General Manager, an accomplice in this charade, played his part to perfection. He adopted a troubled, difficult expression, wringing his hands slightly.
"Sir, our boss was very clear. He said that not a single cent less than sixty billion is acceptable."
Shen Anyu frowned, letting a flicker of theatrical frustration cross his features. He sighed, appearing genuinely troubled, then turned back to Ji Xiaolin.
"Xiao Lin," he said, his voice laced with regret, "it seems this YUHE Pavilion really isn't easy to give to you."
As he spoke, Shen Anyu made a seemingly casual movement. He lifted their clasped hands from the hidden space beneath the table and placed them squarely on top of it, in full view.
The effect was instantaneous. Zhang Zhiyun's gaze sharpened into a blade, locking onto the sight of Shen Anyu's fingers intertwined with his fiancée's. His face, already grim, became a canvas of pure fury, as dark and turbulent as gathering storm clouds. The sight was a violation, an unforgivable transgression happening right before his eyes.
He never would have imagined it. Under the table, this entire time, they had been holding hands with such intimacy. A volcanic pressure built in his chest; he felt like he was about to explode.
Ji Xiaolin was also flustered, her heart hammering against her ribs. She quickly lowered her head, the blush deepening until even her delicate earlobes were tinged with pink. Although she genuinely disliked Zhang Zhiyun, he was, technically, still her fiancé. Being caught in such a compromising position with another man created a strange, thrilling sense of rebellion, a illicit excitement that made her pulse race.
A phantom of a smile touched Shen Anyu's eyes, gone as quickly as it appeared. He then turned to face Zhang Zhiyun's gloomy, almost pale face and deliberately poured salt on the wound.
"Don't overthink it," he said, his voice dripping with false sincerity. "I'm Xiao Lin's best friend's boyfriend, and also Xiao Lin's male best friend. Just a male best friend."
Go to hell with your male best friend!
The urge to lunge across the table and throttle Shen Anyu was almost overwhelming. Zhang Zhiyun could practically feel his qi churning, his killing intent leaking from his pores. He could barely hold himself back, even with Ji Xiaolin sitting right there.
Just as the tension reached its breaking point, Shen Anyu spoke again, his tone light and conversational.
"Hey, friend, how about we team up to take down this YUHE Pavilion? How about it? Sixty billion is a bit strenuous to come up with on your own, isn't it, Xiao Lin?"
"Mm," Ji Xiaolin, her head still bowed and cheeks burning, instinctively hummed in response, barely processing the words.
That small sound was the final spark on the powder keg. Seeing her so readily agree with his rival, Zhang Zhiyun's fury erupted. He let out a cold, disdainful snort.
"Sixty billion, that's all?" he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "Do we need to team up? It seems you're nothing more than that."
He straightened his back, projecting an air of absolute dominance. "Sixty billion. I'll pay for it."
Clap, clap!
Shen Anyu applauded softly, a look of genuine-seeming admiration on his face as he gazed at Zhang Zhiyun.
"You're generous, friend!"
Without another word, Zhang Zhiyun produced his Supreme Black Card. With a flourish of pride and satisfaction, he authorized the unlimited transfer, sending the full sixty billion and acquiring YUHE Pavilion in a single, decisive act. Moments later, holding the freshly printed transfer documents, he strode over to Ji Xiaolin's table, his earlier humiliation forgotten and replaced by a swaggering confidence.
"Xiao Lin," he said, his voice now smooth and triumphant, "I plan to give YUHE Pavilion to you, as our joint property. How about it? As long as you sign your name, YUHE Pavilion will be yours."
Ji Xiaolin finally looked up. The expression in her eyes was not what he expected. It wasn't shock, nor was it surprise. It was a strange, unsettling look—a touch of pity, the kind of look one gives to a profound fool.
Zhang Zhiyun met her sympathetic gaze, completely baffled. He had run through several possible reactions in his head: she might be overjoyed, finally seeing him in a new light; or perhaps she would stubbornly refuse his gift. But why this look? This compassion mixed with something that felt like secondhand embarrassment?
Before he could process it, the General Manager of YUHE Pavilion also walked to Shen Anyu and Ji Xiaolin's table. He bowed respectfully, his demeanor utterly deferential.
"Boss, the sixty billion has been received. As per your instructions, my team and I will leave YUHE Pavilion after completing the handover."
"Mm, well done," Shen Anyu nodded with a satisfied smile. "Everyone's bonus for this month will be tenfold."
Zhang Zhiyun, who was standing right there, froze solid. The documents in his hand suddenly felt like lead. The words echoed in his skull, nonsensical at first, then coalescing into a horrifying realization.
"You… you are the hidden boss of YUHE Pavilion???" Zhang Zhiyun's eyes were wide with fury and disbelief, his voice cracking as he stared at Shen Anyu.
"That's right," Shen Anyu tilted his head, his smile widening into a lazy, infuriating grin. "Is there a problem?"
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Zhang Zhiyun's mentality has exploded. Plundering +55555 Destiny Points!]
The world swam before Zhang Zhiyun's eyes. His vision went black at the edges, and a wave of dizziness made him stagger. He felt like he might fall over right there.
He… he had actually bought his love rival's property… at a twenty-fold premium. And he had done it right in front of his fiancée, Ji Xiaolin, turning himself into a rare, historical sucker for the whole world to see. The memory of his proud, satisfied expression just moments ago, holding up that Supreme Black Card, now burned with the heat of unbearable shame.
Thinking of this, Zhang Zhiyun practically wanted to vomit blood.
And that wasn't all. The torture was not yet complete.
Shen Anyu smiled and looked at Ji Xiaolin, his voice soft and intimate. "What's seen is shared. I'll give you half of this sixty billion."
Ji Xiaolin's expression was strange. Does this count as being an accomplice? she wondered, a peculiar mix of guilt and amusement bubbling inside her.
"Ji Xiaolin, you conspired with Shen Anyu to trick me?" Zhang Zhiyun's voice was low and heavy, each word dripping with heartbreak and accusation. The loss of sixty billion was secondary; the thought that Ji Xiaolin, the woman he had fallen for at first sight, had colluded in his humiliation was a betrayal he absolutely could not tolerate.
"Think whatever you want!" Ji Xiaolin snorted coldly, her patience finally snapping. She replied without a shred of ceremony. She hadn't intended to trick him, but if Shen Anyu wanted to trick him, she was more than happy to just watch the show. Already rebellious by nature and disliking the Tianshi Sect, she was deeply dissatisfied with this Young Sect Leader fiancé that her father, Zhang Tianen, had forced upon her.
If Shen Anyu hadn't appeared, perhaps she and Zhang Zhiyun, after a series of repeated adventures and various hero-saving-the-beauty scenarios, might have eventually developed feelings and gotten together. But with Shen Anyu's interference, the Wan Fa Sect was already gone, so they naturally had no chance. A pair of happy enemies, without a formidable foe to unite them, would only be left as enemies, without the happiness.
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Zhang Zhiyun's main emotional line has completely broken. Plundering +1,000,000 Destiny Points!]
"Good, Ji Xiaolin… we are breaking up!" After saying this, Zhang Zhiyun stared intently at Shen Anyu, killing intent surging...
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