Chapter 668: Get out of the way, the Son of Destiny is trying to show off!
With a thought, Ren Zhacheng strode forward and spoke righteously, "This is too much! Rich and inhumane, you're actually using compensation to threaten a young girl?"
"She's just a girl, and she's apologized. Since your family is so rich and you can claim insurance, you shouldn't be so petty and still make demands to threaten her." He projected his voice, ensuring the gathering crowd could hear every word, positioning himself as the voice of the common man against the oppressive elite. "If I were you, I definitely wouldn't haggle with a girl."
As Ren Zhacheng's words fell, a ripple of shock went through the assembled onlookers. The air, thick with the tension of the accident, now crackled with a new kind of drama. Everyone turned to look at him, their expressions a mixture of surprise and curiosity, and a low hum of discussion began to spread through the crowd.
"Wow, this guy is really brave, he actually stood up." a young man whispered to his girlfriend, nudging her.
"What he said makes sense, though," another onlooker chimed in, a middle-aged woman with her arms crossed. "Using a huge compensation figure to threaten a young girl isn't very proper. It feels like bullying."
"It's a bit inhumane for the rich," someone else added, shaking their head. "They have so much, why crush someone who has so little?"
"I support this guy. It's about time someone spoke up!"
Ren Zhacheng's calculated moral grandstanding immediately drew a chorus of cheers and support. He soaked it in, the validation washing over him like a warm tide. His posture straightened, his chin lifted, and a righteous fire burned in his eyes. He felt transformed, no longer just Ren Zhacheng, but a champion of justice, a beacon of light in the darkness of unchecked wealth.
'That's right. Look at me,' he thought, a smug grin threatening to break his serious facade. 'This is how you handle these arrogant, brainless heirs. You turn the public against them. You seize the moral high ground.'
In his mind, the scenario was already playing out perfectly. Under the crushing weight of public indignation, how could this rich second-generation still have the nerve to demand compensation? He'd be forced to back down, looking weak and petty. Meanwhile, He Yiyi would see him, Ren Zhacheng, as her savior. She would undoubtedly look at him in a new light, her eyes filled with admiration and gratitude. And even if, by some miracle, the rich brat insisted on the compensation, it wasn't a bad outcome either. He could afford it. Paying the sum would only cement his image as a generous and powerful protector, making He Yiyi favor him even more.
Either way, he wouldn't lose. He could stand on his soapbox, point his finger, and reap all the rewards.
For a moment, Ren Zhacheng looked at Shen Anyu with a potent sense of intellectual superiority. He saw a spoiled child who had never faced a real challenge, someone who could be easily outmaneuvered with a bit of social pressure. The condescension in his gaze was thick enough to taste. His satisfaction grew exponentially when he noticed He Yiyi's shocked expression directed at him. She was stunned by his bravery, his magnanimity. It was working.
Shen Anyu, however, merely smiled. It was a lazy, amused smile that held no trace of anger or panic. His gaze drifted from the posturing Ren Zhacheng to the gleaming Lamborghini parked behind him, a silent proof of Ren Zhacheng's own wealth. Then, his eyes settled back on the self-proclaimed hero.
"I see you're quite rich too," Shen Anyu said, his voice calm and carrying easily over the crowd's murmurs. "How about this, you pay the compensation for this girl, how about it?"
The simple question hung in the air, a perfectly laid trap.
He Yiyi also noticed the Lamborghini behind Ren Zhacheng at that moment, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. A Lamborghini? 'Was it a rented car?' she wondered. Otherwise, how could Ren Zhacheng, the intern she knew, possibly afford a supercar like that?
Seeing He Yiyi's shocked gaze fixed on his car, Ren Zhacheng felt a surge of pleasure. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He puffed out his chest and spoke in a nonchalant, magnanimous tone, "He Yiyi, I'm not going to pretend anymore. I'm a rich second-generation. I originally wanted to pursue you as an ordinary person, but now that you've encountered trouble, I can't help but stand up and protect you."
He Yiyi's beautiful eyes widened further, her expression a canvas of disbelief as she stared at Ren Zhacheng. Ren Zhacheng… the same man who had threatened her with a secret, who had tried to blackmail her into submission, was actually a rich second-generation? And so devoted?
Is it real or fake?
A deep-seated distrust coiled in her gut. She just didn't believe it. Nothing about his previous behavior suggested a noble character hiding beneath an ordinary facade.
"I will prove it with facts." Ren Zhacheng smiled confidently, basking in what he perceived as her awe. He then turned his attention back to Shen Anyu, raising his chin in a defiant gesture. "Tell me, how much compensation? I'll pay it for Yiyi!"
The reason he was so persistent, so utterly fixated on He Yiyi, was not only because she was a beautiful girl who had never been in a relationship—a prize in his eyes. It was because he possessed a secret weapon: He Yiyi's Goddess Future Diary.
This meant he could predict the future.
Although he couldn't reveal the diary's existence to anyone, he could indirectly exploit its incredible power. He could, for instance, have He Yiyi buy lottery tickets or invest in stocks. Through the diary, he would know the winning numbers, the market's every rise and fall.
Ren Zhacheng's mind was still very clever; otherwise, he wouldn't have been admitted to a prestigious university and secured an internship at a corporate giant like the Ling Group. With the Goddess Future Diary, money was no object. As long as he got He Yiyi under his control, he could have her 'randomly' pick winning stocks and lottery tickets. Predicting the future through her diary, achieving a small goal of a hundred million would be effortless. Becoming the richest man in the world was suddenly within his reach.
Currently, he only had two such diaries in his possession: He Yiyi's and Ling Qingcheng's. Ling Qingcheng, however, was a different challenge. Her background was immense, her status far beyond his current reach, making her difficult to approach. His only chance was to try and intercept her at the Hilton Hotel at 8 PM tonight, but he knew the probability of success was painfully low.
And so, He Yiyi was the Goddess he had the most hope of conquering. She was the key.
"So generous? All right, then pay for both the repair costs and the depreciation together," Shen Anyu said leisurely, his lips curved into a half-smile as he watched Ren Zhacheng's performance.
"No problem." Ren Zhacheng raised his chin and snorted coldly, the picture of arrogance. He then turned to He Yiyi, his voice softening into a protective tone. "Yiyi, don't worry. With me here, no one can threaten you."
He Yiyi hesitated. Her mind was a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. Then, suddenly, her gaze fell upon Shen Anyu's impossibly handsome face, and a decision crystallized. She bypassed Ren Zhacheng completely.
"Sir," she asked softly, her voice clear and direct, "may I ask what you want me to do? What are your conditions?"
He Yiyi felt it in her bones: Ren Zhacheng couldn't be that kind. His 'help' was a poisoned chalice. Even if he paid the compensation, he would undoubtedly use it to threaten her later. This massive favor, combined with his previous accusation of embezzlement, would become an unbreakable chain. She would find it impossible to escape his control.
It would be better to ask this handsome stranger what his demands were. At least when choosing between two men, the unapologetically appearance-focused He Yiyi would undoubtedly choose Shen Anyu.
The moment her words were spoken, the System's notifications exploded in Shen Anyu's mind.
[Ding! Son of Destiny Ren Zhacheng is heartbroken, plundering +9999 destiny value!]
[Ding! Son of Destiny Ren Zhacheng is extremely depressed, plundering +9999 destiny value!]
…
Seeing He Yiyi completely ignore his grand gesture and instead turn her attention to Shen Anyu, Ren Zhacheng felt a spike of pure, unadulterated fury. The triumphant expression on his face froze, then cracked.
'He Yiyi, you bitch!' he raged internally. 'You won't take the easy way, you have to take the hard way? Fine!'
If this act of kindness didn't work, then he would drop the pretense. He would directly threaten her with the embezzlement of public funds. A sneer formed on his lips, hidden from view.
And Shen Anyu, facing He Yiyi's direct question, smiled warmly. "I plan to attend a banquet tonight and don't have a female companion. I originally intended for you to be my companion for the evening, as compensation for the repair costs."
He paused, glancing at the fuming Ren Zhacheng. "However, now that a gallant protector has arrived to stand up for you, it saves me the loss."
He Yiyi's heart first soared with joy upon hearing this, then immediately dipped with a strange sense of disappointment. The joy was from the sheer relief. That was the condition? Just accompanying him to a banquet? It was a simple, harmless request. She wouldn't have to pay the astronomical repair costs. It was too good a deal, and a far cry from the sordid physical compensation she had secretly feared.
The disappointment, however, was a subtle, unexpected sting. So, this impossibly handsome man didn't have that kind of interest in her after all. It was just a practical arrangement.
'He Yiyi, He Yiyi, stop dreaming,' she chided herself. 'How could a top-tier, god-like rich and handsome man possibly look at a plain Jane like you?'
Composing her complicated feelings, He Yiyi managed a sweet, genuine smile at Shen Anyu. "Sir, then Yiyi agrees to this condition."
"Yiyi..." Ren Zhacheng, standing beside her like a forgotten statue, immediately became anxious, his voice strained.
"Please call me He Yiyi!" She looked at Ren Zhacheng, her tone polite but laced with an unmistakable, icy distance. "Ren Zhacheng, I don't want to owe you such a huge favor. Besides, accompanying someone to a banquet isn't an excessive condition."
She felt, with absolute certainty, that compared to this surprisingly upright and handsome man, Ren Zhacheng was far more likely to have ulterior motives. Her gut instinct screamed it, reinforced by his previous attempt at blackmail, which had left her feeling utterly disgusted.
"Yiyi, He Yiyi, don't be foolish!" Ren Zhacheng's voice grew desperate, his composure shattering. "Think about it, how could a repair fee of one or two million be waived just by having you accompany someone to a banquet? There must be some sinister plot." He was projecting his own twisted thoughts onto Shen Anyu, unable to believe that anyone, especially a man of such means, would let a beauty like He Yiyi go so easily.
Shen Anyu merely watched, an amused glint in his eyes. 'You're a good judge of character!' he thought sarcastically.
However, He Yiyi's impression of Ren Zhacheng was already at rock bottom. She replied coldly, her trust placed elsewhere, "I trust this gentleman."
Just as Ren Zhacheng was about to say something else, his face contorted with frustration, the sharp, professional voice of an automotive insurance adjuster cut through the tension as they arrived at the scene, clipboard in hand, ready for assessment and claims.
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]