Chapter 157: Liu Mi's Decision! The Battle for Favor!
Aunt Xiao stood calmly amidst the chaos of the lobby, directing the security guards with a detached efficiency. Her eyes, sharp as eagle's, flickered towards the dented elevator doors.
She had personally witnessed how Shen Anyu had effortlessly, forcefully crushed Yan Lingxiao, the Leader of the War God Alliance—a Martial Dao Grandmaster who had slaughtered his way through the international underworld.
With such monstrous strength, let alone falling from five or six stories, he might not even die in a plane crash. His body was a fortress.
Especially since Aunt Xiao, with her Grandmaster Peak perception, suspected that the Young Master, Shen Anyu, very likely possessed the strength of a legendary [Celestial Being] (Heavenly Human). At that level, one could practically walk on air and manipulate gravity.
With such power, a mere mechanical failure? It was impossible for him to suffer any damage. He could have caught the elevator with one hand if he wanted.
As for Shen Anyu's objective in staging this drama, Aunt Xiao had some guesses. She grumbled inwardly, shaking her head slightly:
"Young Master... you really have unique tastes. With your status as the sole heir of the Shen Family, if you want any woman in Yanxia, you can have her for the asking. Just take her directly. Why resort to such roundabout methods? It's unnecessary."
In Aunt Xiao's eyes, Shen Anyu stood at the pinnacle of the world. He was the only male descendant of the third generation of the [Yanxia Shen Family] (Political Power) and the [Yanxia An Family] (Financial Power).
With such status, whether it was a pure idol, a rich heiress like Su Hongmian, or a beautiful CEO like Qin Ningbing... he could have them delivered to his bed wrapped in silk. A single command in the morning, and they would be there by nightfall.
Why go through such trouble? Directing and acting out a disaster movie? Cutting cables? Pretending to be injured?
However, Aunt Xiao, who had dedicated her life to the Martial Dao, never married, and loyally served the Shen Family as a shadow, how could she understand the joy of the game between men and women?
She didn't understand the thrill of the hunt.
Moreover, what Shen Anyu needed was not just the bodies of Su Hongmian and other [Destined Heroines]. He could buy bodies anywhere.
He needed their hearts!
That was related to [Destiny Value]. That was related to unlocking all sorts of incredible and magical rewards from the System—immortality, divine skills, absolute power!
That was far rarer than any worldly power or wealth. A heart given willingly was worth a thousand forced submissions.
In Shen Anyu's eyes, each Destined Heroine was an untapped top-tier gold mine, and he wouldn't be satisfied until he personally dug out the deepest golden light.
Aunt Xiao naturally didn't know about the System or the Destiny Value calculations. But she knew one thing: She absolutely couldn't ruin the Young Master's plans.
At this moment, Aunt Xiao, while comforting the hysterical Jiang Linlin and the calculating Liu Mi, deliberately dragged her feet.
"Careful with that crowbar! Don't spark a fire!" she ordered the guards, slowing them down. "Check the structural integrity first!"
She was painstakingly prying open the elevator shaft, buying her Young Lord precious minutes of intimacy.
...
Inside the tilted, dusty elevator car.
The atmosphere was thick with a sweetness that contrasted sharply with the smell of grease and metal.
Su Hongmian felt Shen Anyu's tenderness and thoughtfulness enveloping her like a warm blanket. Her heart, usually guarded by walls of ice and pride, was touched and joyful. Her eyes curved into crescents, and unconsciously, her beautiful eyes softened into pools of water.
Her heart was already completely tied to Shen Anyu. No regret. No resentment. Even Liu Mi didn't matter right now.
"Bad guy... you scared me to death."
Suddenly, acting on an impulse she couldn't control, Su Hongmian leaned forward.
She lightly touched the tip of her lips to Shen Anyu's cheek.
Peck.
It was soft, fleeting, like a dragonfly skimming the water surface. But it carried the weight of her surrender.
"That's your reward! For saving me! Don't misunderstand!" she whispered, her face burning.
Shen Anyu smiled, his arm tightening around her. "Mm-hmm. I've received Mianmian's reward... and her feelings."
"Hmph! I don't care if you accept it or not! You just know how to be mischievous."
A smile flashed in Shen Anyu's eyes. He leaned in to deepen the kiss, to claim the lips that had just grazed his cheek.
BANG!
With a loud, jarring noise, the elevator shaft doors were finally pried open by Aunt Xiao and the guards, who had deemed the time sufficient.
Light flooded into the dark shaft, blinding them momentarily.
"Brother Shen!"
"Brother Shen! Sister Su! Are you alive?!"
Jiang Linlin and Liu Mi rushed in first, ignoring the safety warnings of the guards.
Seeing that Shen Anyu was alive, sitting amidst the wreckage holding Su Hongmian, they immediately wept tears of joy. They were ecstatic, their relief palpable.
"Brother Shen... thank god! Thank god!"
Jiang Linlin quickly walked in front of Shen Anyu, checking his body with great concern. Her hands hovered over his chest, afraid to touch him in case he was broken.
"Brother Shen, how is your body? Are you injured? Does it hurt anywhere?"
Liu Mi also widened her beautiful eyes, pushing past a guard. She said with concern, her voice trembling:
"Brother Shen, I've already called an ambulance! The best doctors are on their way! Don't move!"
Shen Anyu stood up effortlessly, helping Su Hongmian up as well. He dusted off his suit, looking as elegant as if he had just stepped out of a meeting, not a crash.
He said with a reassuring smile:
"My body is perfectly fine. I'm not injured. No need to go to the hospital. I just got a bit dusty."
Seeing that Jiang Linlin and Liu Mi still wanted to say something, their eyes filled with doubt (how could anyone fall six floors and be fine?), Shen Anyu waved his hand.
He pointed at his loyal captain.
"Aunt Xiao is skilled in medicine; she knows internal energy healing. Let her examine me, alright? Aunt Xiao, isn't that right?"
Aunt Xiao was startled for a microsecond. Skilled in medicine? She knew how to break bones, not fix them.
But she quickly understood the assignment. She put on a serious, professional face and walked over.
"Yes, Young Master. Let me check your meridians."
She placed her fingers on Shen Anyu's wrist, pretending to take his pulse and check his internal Qi flow.
She felt a pulse as strong and vigorous as a dragon's heartbeat. Even his little finger contained enough power to crush a black bear's skull. He had no injuries whatsoever. In fact, his energy was overflowing.
After a tense minute of silence, during which the three women held their breath...
Aunt Xiao released his hand and nodded solemnly to the overly concerned Liu Mi, Jiang Linlin, and Su Hongmian:
"The Young Master's body is perfectly fine. His internal energy protected him. He is not injured. It is a miracle... or rather, the result of his diligent cultivation."
"That's great..."
As Aunt Xiao's authoritative words fell, Liu Mi, Jiang Linlin, and Su Hongmian all breathed a collective sigh of relief. The tension left their bodies, leaving them weak.
"Oh, right! Aunt Xiao, please examine Sister Su too! She and Brother Shen both fell from the sixth floor!"
At this moment, Jiang Linlin remembered Su Hongmian beside them. She looked at the disheveled beauty with genuine concern.
With Shen Anyu as the link, her relationship with Su Hongmian had also improved. They were sisters in adversity now. There were almost no secrets between them anymore.
Su Hongmian, however, shook her head. She brushed her hair back, regaining some of her queenly composure.
She looked at Shen Anyu, her eyes shining with a possessive light.
She said with a light, proud laugh:
"I'm fine. I don't need a doctor."
"Brother Shen protected me very well. He instinctively shielded me in his arms the entire way down. He took the impact for me. I didn't suffer any injuries. Not even a scratch."
As these words fell.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Jiang Linlin and Liu Mi froze.
They immediately showed expressions of intense envy. Their beautiful eyes collectively looked at Shen Anyu with resentment and longing.
'He held her? The whole way down?'
'He protected her with his life?'
Especially Liu Mi.
Her sharp mind acutely noticed that Su Hongmian's condition was unusual. Su Hongmian wasn't just relieved; she was glowing. There was a new intimacy between her and Shen Anyu—a bond forged in life and death.
Liu Mi thought to herself, biting her lip:
"Between life and death, there is great terror... but it can also significantly boost emotions! It's the ultimate aphrodisiac!"
"I made a mistake! A huge mistake!"
"I was too cowardly! I should have stayed in the elevator! I should have insisted on going last! If I had fallen with Brother Shen... he would have held me. I would be the one receiving that look right now!"
"Now Su Hongmian has gained a massive advantage! She has the 'Shared Trauma' card! She has the 'Savior' bond!"
Liu Mi felt a crisis approaching. Her position was threatened.
"No... I absolutely cannot lose to Su Hongmian! I cannot let her consolidate this lead!"
Liu Mi's charming fox-like eyes fluttered, her gaze shifting between the trusting Jiang Linlin and the triumphant Su Hongmian.
A plan formed in her mind. A way to regain Shen Anyu's attention and level the playing field.
"If she has the 'Life and Death' bond... I will use the 'Pleasure' bond."
She looked at Jiang Linlin.
"Linlin... tonight, we move."
She had already made a decision in her heart~
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