At the outer venue of the Yun City Jade Gambling Festival, Hao Jian's figure frantically weaved through the surging crowd and cluttered stalls, his eyes gleaming with an intensity others couldn't comprehend.
In his sight, the mountains of gray stones presented different forms.
"Boss, how much for this pile of scrap?"
Hao Jian pointed to a pile of discarded stones under a stall, which had been windowed and cast aside, asking in a hoarse voice.
The stall owner lifted his eyelids and waved his hand lazily.
"Five hundred yuan, take it all. Don't waste my time."
A hint of joy flashed in Hao Jian's eyes. He quickly paid the money, precisely picked out three inconspicuous stones from the pile of scraps, and then walked to the next stall without looking back.
With the [True Sight Eye] he had exchanged using his previously accumulated Pure Love Value, he was like the most efficient scavenger, frantically treasure hunting among these piles of trash abandoned by everyone.
A highly translucent icy glutinous jade.
A brightly colored lavender jade.
An extremely rare black jadeite.
He could always buy these unpolished jades, which contained hidden wonders, at ridiculously low prices.
The surrounding stall owners and gamblers gradually changed their gaze from seeing him as a poor boy picking up trash to seeing him as a lunatic with incredibly good luck.
But there was no joy in his heart.
Only endless humiliation and a gnawing worry that constantly ate at his heart.
Every time he completed a transaction, every time he found a valuable jadeite, he couldn't help but stop and look back in the direction Tang Bingyun had left.
In his mind, various terrifying images began to surface uncontrollably.
Yunyun... how is she now?
What would that devil named Lu Cheng do to Yunyun?
Would he... use his immense power to force Yunyun to do things she didn't want to do?
No!
Yunyun is so innocent, so kind; she would definitely resist!
But... would resistance be useful?
In front of that man, the Tang Family seemed like ants. Besides enraging him and inviting even more terrifying retaliation, what good would Yunyun's resistance do?
Hao Jian felt as if someone had choked him, an inexplicable sense of suffocation.
An even more terrifying, more despairing thought, frantically grew in his mind.
What if... what if Yunyun didn't resist?
What if... she was seduced by that man's wealth and power?
He imagined himself fighting tooth and nail, covered in mud, completing the task, ready to rescue his princess.
But when he pushed open the door, what he saw was not the tearful Yunyun he imagined, waiting to be rescued.
Instead... it was a woman in a luxurious cheongsam, graceful in her demeanor, with a hint of charm he had never seen in her eyes.
She would look at him with a condescending, pitying gaze.
Then, she would lean gently on that devil's shoulder and say in a soft, tender voice he had never heard before.
"Ah Jian, I'm sorry."
"I can't go back."
"Mr. Lu can give me everything I want, and you... you can't."
"You're a good person, but we're not from the same world."
"Ah—!"
Just thinking about this thought nearly made Hao Jian's sanity collapse.
He couldn't think about it anymore!
He had to complete this damned task as quickly as possible!
...Inside the teahouse, in an antique private room, sandalwood incense wafted.
Lu Cheng's gaze fell outside the window, admiring Yun City's unique streetscape, as if he had completely forgotten that there was a tool-person outside, working desperately for him.
Bai Zhi sat by the side, watching Tang Bingyun carefully massaging Lu Xuan's calf, her heart a mix of emotions.
Tang Bingyun's movements were clumsy; it was clear she had never done such a subservient task before.
Her head was bowed very low, her dark hair covering her face, making her expression unreadable.
But her slightly trembling shoulders betrayed her inner humiliation and fear.
Bai Zhi's sense of justice burned fiercely at this moment.
She cleared her throat, deciding to immediately begin her "work."
"Ahem!"
She directed her attack straight at the leisurely instigator.
"You dog devil!"
Bai Zhi's voice was clear and loud, breaking the eerie silence in the private room.
"Forcing an innocent girl to do such things, do you have any humanity left?!"
"Look at her, she's almost crying!"
[Ding! Villain Emotion Value +200!]
The notification sound in her mind gave Bai Zhi a little more confidence.
Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng slowly put down his teacup, turned his head, and smiled at the indignant young girl.
"How did I force her?"
His voice carried a hint of innocence.
"From beginning to end, I only invited her here for tea."
"Isn't she doing these things voluntarily?"
He gave Lu Xuan a wink.
Lu Xuan immediately understood. Enjoying Tang Bingyun's service, she proudly swung her calf and lifted her chin at Bai Zhi.
"That's right! Even if there was coercion, I was the one who told her to massage, what about it?"
"Is it any of your business?"
She paused, then looked at Bai Zhi with a provocative gaze.
"Or do you want to come and massage me too? Bad woman!"
"You..."
Bai Zhi was left speechless by their synchronized retort.
She took a deep breath, knowing that reasoning with this spoiled little princess was futile, so she could only change her approach and continue to attack Lu Cheng.
"Then... then you can't treat her boyfriend like a slave either!"
Her voice rose a few octaves, full of accusation.
"You leave him alone outside, working like an ox and a horse for you, while you sit here drinking tea and enjoying yourself!"
"This is exploitation! This is oppression!"
However, after listening to her impassioned critique, Lu Cheng's smile only grew wider.
"Oppression? Exploitation?"
He sounded as if he had heard the biggest joke.
"Miss Bai Zhi, have you perhaps misunderstood something?"
"I gave him a black card with an unlimited spending limit."
"I even mercifully told him, he's only allowed to earn, not to lose."
Lu Cheng spread his hands, his expression one of complete justification.
"Tell me, where in the world is there such a good job?"
"He doesn't have to put up a single cent of his own capital, investing with the boss's money."
"How is this oppression? This is clearly charity; I'm giving him an opportunity to rise to power in one go!"
"He should be thanking me."
These twisted sophistries made Bai Zhi feel as if her worldview had been shattered.
She opened her mouth but found herself unable to utter a single word in rebuttal.
Because, from a certain perspective, what he said... actually made a little bit of sense!
Meanwhile, Tang Bingyun, who had been silent like a puppet, trembled violently upon hearing these words.
She slowly lifted her head.
In her mind, she uncontrollably began to compare Hao Jian, who was outside under the scorching sun, with the man before her, who regarded millions as nothing.
One was a bodyguard who loved her and was willing to give everything for her.
But his love, in the face of reality, was so pale, so powerless.
He could only endure humiliation in the most humble way, to exchange for that meager bit of leverage.
The other was a devil who regarded her family as dust.
Yet, this devil possessed power she couldn't imagine.
A single word from him could nullify the opportunity that Hao Jian, even with all his efforts, could not obtain.
A card he casually threw out was enough to buy the entire Tang Family.
This immense, chasm-like disparity made it difficult for her to accept...
...