Chapter 153: An Unexpected Event! The Elevator Crisis!
"Help you?"
Jiang Linlin lifted her delicate, pure face, looking at Liu Mi in confusion. Her large doe eyes blinked innocently, unsure of what her sophisticated best friend could possibly need help with regarding Shen Anyu.
"Help you with what? Cooking? Buying gifts?"
A mischievous, almost predatory smile flickered across Liu Mi's charming face. She leaned in closer, shielding her mouth with her hand as if sharing a state secret. Her breath tickled Linlin's ear as she whispered:
"Help me... satisfy him. Tonight. Together."
"You know how demanding he is. I can't handle him alone. If we join forces... we can make him so happy he forgets all about that Iceberg Woman."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Linlin's pupils immediately dilated in shock. The world seemed to spin for a second.
Her clear eyes went wide, and her entire snow-white skin—from her neck to her forehead—instantly flushed a deep, burning crimson, as if she were about to drip blood.
"Th-th-this... how can this be?!" she stammered, her voice squeaking. "Together?! That's... that's too shameful!"
"Why not?"
Liu Mi didn't back down. She gripped Linlin's arm firmly, her eyes serious.
"You stinky Linlin, think about it. You had a relationship with my boyfriend behind my back, and I've already let bygones be bygones because I love you. Are you unwilling to help me with such a small matter? Do you want me to lose to Su Hongmian?"
"But~"
"No buts! It's settled! We are sisters in everything now!"
Liu Mi forcefully made the decision, cutting off any retreat. Then, ignoring Linlin's steaming head, she pulled her along and quickly caught up to the elevator where Shen Anyu and Su Hongmian were waiting.
"What are you two still chattering about?"
Shen Anyu looked at Liu Mi and Jiang Linlin with a half-smile. With his [Grandmaster Peak] hearing, enhanced by his [Divine Physique], he naturally heard every single syllable of their "whisper."
He didn't expose them. Instead, a dark excitement stirred in his belly. 'Together? Liu Mi truly understands my heart.'
Jiang Linlin blushed even harder under his gaze, lowering her head until her chin touched her chest. Her entire being was so shy she looked like she wanted to dig a hole in the marble floor and bury herself.
However, Liu Mi rolled her eyes at Shen Anyu with a playful smile. She actively linked her arm through his left arm, pressing her soft curves against him, and her sweet voice rang out:
"Brother Shen, guess? It's a secret between girls!"
"Me guess? Hehe, give me a hint."
"Hehe, it's definitely something good for you. You're getting a huge bargain! You should thank me later."
"..."
"Enough! You two are dawdling! Are you done flirting?"
Su Hongmian, standing on Shen Anyu's right side, saw her beloved man flirting openly with the hated vixen Liu Mi. Her patience snapped instantly.
She exploded in anger, stomping her high heel.
"Why aren't you getting on the elevator? You've been dawdling for over ten minutes just to walk ten meters! Do you want to camp in the lobby?"
Liu Mi, however, didn't budge. She looked at Su Hongmian with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, and said in a sugary, poisonous voice:
"Su Hongmian, calm down. Just now when you were bickering with Brother Shen and acting all tsundere, I didn't interrupt you, did I? I gave you your time."
"Brother Shen isn't just yours. He belongs to everyone. Learn to share, Princess."
"You…! Who wants to share with a fox like you?!"
"Alright, alright, everyone calm down."
Seeing Su Hongmian's beautiful eyes seemingly spitting fire, about to lunge across him to fight with Liu Mi, Shen Anyu quickly stepped out to mediate. He put his arms around both their waists, pulling them apart.
"Hmph!"
"Hmph!"
Su Hongmian and Liu Mi both snorted in unison, turning their heads away from each other. But neither let go of Shen Anyu. They each pulled on Shen Anyu's arm from either side, as if in a tug-of-war over a prize doll.
Shen Anyu suddenly felt a headache coming on.
'I hadn't expected the relationship between Su Hongmian and Liu Mi to be this bad. It's like fire and water. They start a fight the moment they make eye contact.'
Before, Su Hongmian and Jiang Linlin hadn't caused such a fuss. Linlin was submissive, so Su Hongmian naturally took the lead.
Liu Mi and Jiang Linlin's relationship was also extremely good—sisterly and protective.
But Su Hongmian and Liu Mi? Two Alpha females? It was a disaster waiting to happen.
Looking at Jiang Linlin, who was like a transparent little shadow, obediently cowering in the corner of the elevator like a quail to avoid the crossfire...
Shen Anyu thought to himself, 'My Linlin is still the best. Obedient, sensible, doesn't cause trouble. Everyone loves her.'
Although... such commotion also had its own kind of chaotic fun. It fed his vanity to see beautiful women fighting over him.
'But I need to stabilize this before it turns into a bloodbath.'
After thinking for a moment, Shen Anyu decided to break the deadlock starting with Su Hongmian. She was the hardest nut to crack. Liu Mi was smart; she would fall in line if the situation demanded it. But Su Hongmian needed a shock to her system to reset her priorities.
A playful, calculating arc curved at the corner of Shen Anyu's mouth.
With a subtle hand signal behind his back, he instructed Aunt Xiao and the other hidden guards in the shadows to disperse and disable the building's surveillance for the next hour.
Then, he pressed the elevator button for the top floor (Penthouse).
The elevator doors slowly closed, sealing the four of them in the gilded box. After a barely perceptible tremor, it slowly ascended upwards.
Hummm...
The numbers on the display changed steadily.
Second floor... third floor... fourth floor... fifth floor... sixth floor...
'Now.'
Just then, Shen Anyu's eyes flashed with a silver light.
[Skill Activated: God-level Telekinesis]
A sharp, condensed psychic force, carrying invisible fluctuations like a laser cutter, blasted out from his mind. It bypassed the elevator ceiling and struck the mechanical shaft above.
Snap! Snap!
It directly severed several auxiliary steel cables and the main brake line!
BOOM!
The entire elevator car vibrated violently as if hit by a giant hammer.
"Ah!"
It instantly dropped. Gravity seemed to double. The sensation of weightlessness hit their stomachs.
SCREECH!
The emergency anti-fall safety device (which Shen Anyu had not cut, obviously) activated in time. The clamps bit into the guide rails with a deafening screech of metal on metal.
The elevator car jerked to a violent halt, jamming itself in the gap between the fifth and sixth floors.
Zzzzt! Pop!
The lights flickered and immediately went out, plunging them into absolute darkness.
"Ah…!!!"
Inside the elevator car, the screams of the three women rose and fell, piercing the sudden silence.
"Brother Shen!"
Shen Anyu was quick-witted and prepared. With his [God-Level Steel Body] and martial balance, he stood as firm as a mountain. He naturally wouldn't let the three women fall or get hurt.
In the dark, he moved like a phantom. He immediately reached out. His strong arms acted as a safety barrier, pulling all three of them towards the center, supporting their waists so they wouldn't hit the walls.
"Don't panic."
His voice was calm and steady in the darkness, an anchor in the storm.
He took out his phone and turned on the flashlight. The beam cut through the gloom, illuminating three pale, terrified faces.
"Are you all alright? Is anyone hurt?"
"Brother Shen... Linlin is fine."
Jiang Linlin patted her chest with lingering fear, her heart pounding so hard it hurt. She forced a comforting smile onto her pure and delicate face, indicating that she was fine, though her legs were shaking.
"Shen Anyu! I'm fine... how about you?"
Su Hongmian was the first to recover. She had practiced Taekwondo since childhood and had also been taught internal martial arts by Shen Anyu recently, so her physical reflexes were good.
She stood steady, her jade hand gripping Shen Anyu's arm so tight her knuckles were white. Her eyes were filled with concern, scanning him for injuries.
Although she knew Shen Anyu was strong, she had been frantic the moment the elevator plummeted! Her anger at him vanished instantly, replaced by the fear of losing him.
"I'm fine. Just a mechanical failure."
Shen Anyu lied smoothly.
"I didn't expect the elevator to suddenly malfunction. This building management will hear from me. It's good that you weren't scared."
Meeting Su Hongmian's concerned gaze, Shen Anyu showed a warm, reassuring smile on his face, without the slightest hint of guilt for being the saboteur.
"Brother Shen... I'm so scared! Hold me tight…"
Suddenly, a soft body threw itself onto him.
Liu Mi leaned heavily against Shen Anyu's right shoulder, burying her face in his neck. She spoke in a sweet, delicate voice that trembled with fear (or was it acting?).
"My legs are weak..."
Su Hongmian had just breathed a sigh of relief when she saw this scene. Her concern instantly evaporated, replaced by annoyance.
"Liu Mi! You stinky vixen!"
She hissed, her voice echoing in the small space.
"What time is it? We just almost died, and you're still acting up? Still trying to seduce him?"
"Su Hongmian... who's acting up? (Inhales sharply) Who's acting up??"
Liu Mi lifted her head, looking teary-eyed but defiant.
"Hmph! If not you, then who? Look at you, glued to him like a leech!"
"Hehe... Brother Shen, don't listen to her. I'm most afraid of enclosed spaces. I have claustrophobia! You must hold me tight and never let go…"
Liu Mi chuckled softly, giving Su Hongmian a provocative look over Shen Anyu's shoulder. Then she delicately nestled back against him, acting as if she was extremely fragile.
In reality, Liu Mi was indeed a little scared—the drop was terrifying—but her recovery was fast. She saw an opportunity to gain sympathy points and provoke Su Hongmian, and she took it.
"You... You..."
"Hoo-hoo-hoo…"
Su Hongmian took several deep breaths to stop herself from slapping Liu Mi's fair, vixen-like face in this cramped space.
'Calm down. Panic kills. I am the Eldest Miss of the Su Family. I must lead.'
Her gaze swept over their surroundings, analyzing the situation.
At this moment, inside the elevator car, the ventilation fans had stopped. The air was getting stuffy.
The elevator car had jammed at an angle. The doors were slightly cracked open due to the impact distortion.
Through the crack in the elevator door, about ten centimeters wide, a faint light from the corridor outside could be seen.
Su Hongmian calculated the position. The upper third of the entire elevator car was aligned with the bottom of the sixth-floor door.
This filled Su Hongmian's beautiful eyes with a hint of joy. Hope!
She breathed a sigh of relief, pushing her messy hair back. She looked at Shen Anyu, her expression shifting from jealousy to seriousness.
"Brother Shen, listen to me. The elevator cables must have broken just now. That snap sound was unmistakable."
"The situation is very dangerous. We are hanging by the emergency brakes. If they fail... or if the counterweight shifts... the elevator could plummet directly to the basement!"
"We can't wait for someone to rescue us! Time is life!"
She pointed at the crack.
"Through this crack in the elevator door... we can force it open. We can climb out to the sixth floor. It's tight, but we can fit."
Shen Anyu nodded gently. He looked at Su Hongmian with genuine slight surprise and appreciation.
"Mianmian... I didn't expect you to be so calm and rational when something happens. Most girls would be screaming."
"You've truly impressed me. You are indeed worthy of being my woman. We'll do as you say."
Su Hongmian's performance was somewhat unexpected to Shen Anyu. This arrogant young lady, usually pampered and quick-tempered, didn't mess up at a critical moment. She was unexpectedly reliable and courageous.
'She has the potential to be the Queen of the Harem,' Shen Anyu noted.
Although... Shen Anyu wasn't actually worried about safety.
This entire "Elevator Incident" was self-directed and self-performed by him. He controlled the physics.
Otherwise, Aunt Xiao and the other guards would have already torn the doors open to save him. He had signaled them to stand down.
As for safety? It was not an issue at all.
With Shen Anyu's [God-Level Steel Body] and [Telekinesis], even if the elevator truly plummeted freely to the ground, he could cushion the impact instantly, ensuring the absolute safety of himself and the three women. He was their god in this box.
But they didn't need to know that.
Shen Anyu's lips curled up in the darkness, hidden by the shadows.
What could be more suitable for breaking the deadlock of a Shura Field than creating a "Suspension Bridge Effect" accident?
Danger breeds dependence. Fear breeds romance.
"If there's no opportunity," he thought, "then a true villain creates one!"
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