Chapter 167: Courage! The Villain's Reward
"Damn it, that pretty boy actually went in for so long and even closed the door!"
The landlord, Qian Haofu, had been paying attention to this side. From the open door, he could see Shen Anyu and Wang Qin talking inside. Although he couldn't hear very clearly, he was quite envious.
Wang Qin wouldn't even let him, the landlord, come in and sit down. Wang Qin had been renting here for several years, and he knew she was a good woman—virtuous, conservative, and possessing the kind of mature charm that drove men wild.
Such a mature and beautiful woman, so exquisite, naturally couldn't stand annoying suitors, but the landlord, Qian Haofu, had never seen anyone succeed, including himself. He couldn't even take advantage of her a little! Every time he tried to get close, she would use that polite but distant "teacher" demeanor to push him away.
But now, that young and handsome pretty boy was able to stay inside for so long.
And that wasn't all!
The next scene made the landlord, Qian Haofu, explode with jealousy. He watched Wang Qin walk to the door. Her hips swayed with a natural, unconscious rhythm under that floral dress. She reached out with her slender, fair hand and pushed the door shut, locking it with a decisive click.
Leaving a man and a woman alone together in a small, cramped room.
The landlord, Qian Haofu, was completely stunned, standing in the dingy corridor like a statue. Then, his face twisted with extreme envy and jealousy, his features contorting into an ugly mask of rage.
"How is this possible? How could this be? I met Wang Qin first! I've been taking care of her for years! Is being handsome really that amazing? Does a pretty face allow you to do whatever you want?"
"That bastard pretty boy! He's definitely doing something dirty in there!"
At this moment, the landlord, Qian Haofu, didn't know how many times he had cursed and sworn at Shen Anyu in his heart. He was imagining the scenes inside—scenes he had fantasized about for years—being enacted by another man. The thought was like acid in his veins.
"You are Qian Haofu, right?"
Just then, while Qian Haofu was pressing his ear to the door hoping to hear something illicit, he heard a serious, cold voice behind him.
He jumped, startled, and turned his head.
He saw several police officers in uniform standing there, their expressions grim. Behind them were members of the special economic crime unit. The aura they emitted was authoritative and oppressive.
He immediately smiled awkwardly, wiping his greasy hands on his pants:
"Officers, I am Qian Haofu. Is there something you need me for? I'm a law-abiding citizen…"
A female police officer, tall and sharp-eyed, scanned Qian Haofu with undisguised disgust. She held up a warrant.
"Your crimes have been exposed!"
"We received a verified report with substantial evidence. You are suspected of seventeen charges, including sexual harassment of tenants, tax evasion amounting to millions, illegal gambling operations, and running a usury ring targeting vulnerable women. Come with us."
What?
Qian Haofu was instantly dumbfounded. His legs went weak.
"Wait! There must be a mistake! Who reported me? Was it that kid inside?"
He tried to argue, but two officers stepped forward and slapped cold metal handcuffs onto his wrists. Click! The sound echoed in the hallway, far louder than the locking of Wang Qin's door.
He was on the verge of tears. He realized that his life was over. The "evidence" mentioned was likely ironclad. He looked at Wang Qin's door one last time, realizing that the young man inside wasn't just a "pretty boy"—he was a predator who swatted annoying flies without looking back.
…
[Location: Wang Qin's Apartment - Living Room]
Inside the room, the atmosphere was a stark contrast to the chaos outside, yet equally tense.
Because Wang Qin was unemployed and had sent most of her previous earnings to Xu River, the true young master of the Xu Family in the mountain village, she had very little money left. Every yuan was calculated. She was reluctant to pay for electricity, so she didn't turn on the air conditioner despite the Shanghai heat.
An old electric fan in the corner oscillated rhythmically. Whir… whir… whir… It creaked with every turn, blowing a lukewarm breeze that did little to cool the rising temperature in the room.
Her floral long dress rippled in the wind, the soft fabric molding to her curvaceous figure, outlining the heavy swell of her chest and the curve of her waist.
Aside from the sound of the wind and the faint, distant sirens taking Qian Haofu away, it was very quiet.
So quiet that Wang Qin could hear her own heartbeat thundering in her ears. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Wang Qin looked up at Shen Anyu in front of her.
He stood there, impeccably dressed in his high-end suit, a stark anomaly in this cheap rental apartment. He was handsome, masculine, tall, and dashing. The sweat on her own skin made her feel sticky and unkempt, but he looked cool and pristine, like a block of ice in a furnace.
Especially his noble demeanor and the aura of having everything under control—it captivated her.
It was a primitive attraction. In the animal kingdom, the weak female is naturally drawn to the strongest male for protection. Wang Qin, stripped of her status, money, and dignity, was currently in her most vulnerable state. And Shen Anyu was the apex predator who had just solved her life-and-death crisis with a single phone call.
Such a rich, handsome, and powerful man was probably liked by many girls. Why would he want an old woman like her?
Even the image of Xu Ping'an's true father, that mysterious man she had once loved, gradually faded in Wang Qin's mind. For twenty years, she had held onto that memory. But now, the reality of the man in front of her—dominant, wealthy, and dangerously attractive—was overwriting that phantom. There was a man even more powerful than him right here.
Shen Anyu didn't care about the landlord Qian Haofu being taken away. He didn't even glance at the door.
To him, the greasy, shameless landlord was just an ant. The man had angered Wang Qin and made her helpless, eyeing Shen Anyu's prey. For Shen Anyu, removing him was as simple as breathing; a text message to Aunt Xiao earlier had sealed the man's fate.
His focus was entirely on the prize before him.
Suddenly, a mechanical chime rang in his mind.
[Ding! Detected that the Child of Destiny, Xu Ping'an's, fate has undergone a significant change.]
[Analysis: The Host intervened in the 'Jail Arc'. Originally, Xu Ping'an would have suffered in jail, awakened a darker resolve, and met a noble benefactor inside. By paying the bail and settling the matter with money, you have severed his 'Hardship Refining' opportunity and indebted his mother to you.]
[Reward: Plundered +99,999 Destiny Points!]
Listening to the pleasant System prompt in his ear, Shen Anyu's heart was filled with even more joy and delight.
Double happiness!
He not only obtained a massive amount of Destiny Points but was also about to taste a delicious "fruit."
He took a step forward.
Wang Qin flinched slightly, but didn't retreat. She stood by the sofa, her hands clutching an enamel bowl as if it were a lifeline.
"Young Master Shen…"
Her voice was trembling. She was nervous. She had promised. She had said "Yes." But now that the moment was here, the reality of it crashed down on her. She was about to betray her principles, her chastity, and her self-respect.
But looking at Shen Anyu's deep, abyss-like eyes, she found that her legs were weak—not just from fear, but from a strange, liquid heat pooling in her lower belly.
"My… my son, Xu Ping'an, will be back soon."
Wang Qin sat on the sofa, trying to put some distance between them, holding the enamel bowl and sipping water from it to hide her dry lips. Her heart was anxious. She was reminding him, and perhaps hoping for a reprieve.
"He… he takes the bus. It won't take long."
Finally, she hesitated and spoke, her eyes pleading.
Shen Anyu smiled. It was a smile that didn't reach his eyes—a smile of a wolf playing with a rabbit.
He prepared to get up, moving slowly. He walked over to the sofa.
He didn't sit down. Instead, he stood over her, casting a long shadow that engulfed her petite form. He reached out a hand and gently brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
His fingers were cool. Wang Qin shuddered at the contact, a goosebump-inducing electric current shooting down her spine.
"Ms. Wang, you seem to be forgetting something."
He leaned down, his face inches from hers. She could smell the faint, intoxicating scent of agarwood and expensive tobacco on him. It was a masculine, aggressive scent that made her dizzy.
"Sincerity isn't just a verbal agreement."
Wang Qin's breathing hitched. She looked at his lips, then his eyes. She felt like a moth drawn to a flame.
"I… I know…" she whispered, her face flushing crimson. She lowered the enamel bowl, her hands trembling so much the water rippled.
She closed her eyes, tilting her head up slightly, a gesture of submission. She was ready. She had to be ready.
Shen Anyu's hand trailed down from her ear to her neck, his thumb tracing the pulse that was beating frantically there. He enjoyed this control. He enjoyed seeing the mother of the protagonist submitting to him completely.
Just then.
Shen Anyu's ears twitched. As an Innate Realm cultivator, his hearing was far beyond that of mortals. He heard heavy footsteps thumping up the stairs. He heard the ragged breathing of a young man running.
He checked the distance. Maybe thirty seconds.
Shen Anyu raised an eyebrow, a playful, devilish smile appearing on his lips.
Most people would panic. Most people would pull away.
But Shen Anyu was a Villain.
He looked at Wang Qin, whose eyes were still closed, waiting for his kiss, waiting for his claim.
He leaned closer, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear, and whispered softly:
"However, I'm afraid I can't leave for now."
What?
Wang Qin opened her eyes, showing a puzzled expression. She didn't understand. Why couldn't he leave? Was he going to… do it right here? Right now?
But very quickly, she understood.
The footsteps outside stopped. The sound of keys jingling in the hallway.
Her face turned pale, drained of all blood. The flush of arousal was instantly replaced by the ice-cold grip of terror.
In the living room, through the thin door she had locked, she heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. Clack. Clack.
And then, the door was pushed open.
She heard the most familiar voice, the voice of her biological son, Xu Ping'an. It was loud, energetic, and filled with the arrogant confidence of someone who had just escaped disaster.
"Mom, I'm home!"
[Akarin Note:
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