Chapter 172 The secret of Su Hongmian's life experience!
Shen Anyu didn't find it strange; even the Yanxia Shen Family's intelligence network didn't know everything.
After all, this world was a fusion of various novels, bringing together countless Sons of Destiny and destined heroines.
It wasn't just the world of Ye Yan, the expert who descended from the mountains, but also included Country Divine Doctor Xia Liu, Dog-Licking Godly Tycoon Qi Fan, Dragon King Consort Han Qi, War God Returns Yan Lingxiao, True and False Young Master Xu Ping'an, and many others.
Such a world was bound to be deep and full of hidden dragons, with countless secrets…
[Location: Su Family Villa - Living Room]
The morning sun filtered through the sheer curtains, casting a warm, golden haze over the opulent living room. Dust motes danced in the shafts of light, creating a serene atmosphere that contrasted sharply with the heavy topic at hand.
Shen Anyu sat on the leather sofa, holding his crystal glass of rice wine. His gaze was calm, but his mind was racing with the thrill of a hunter discovering a new hunting ground.
'A secret that even the System redacted initially...' he mused. 'This implies a higher power level. Perhaps connected to the Ancient Martial Arts Sects or the hidden families that predate the current government.'
He looked at the woman sitting across from him.
Su Wanqing, the "Tea Queen" of Shanghai, was currently pressing her forehead with her slender, manicured fingers. Her delicate brows were furrowed, creating small creases of worry on her smooth, fair skin. Her exquisite, mature face, usually a mask of unshakeable confidence, was now filled with visible exhaustion and a vulnerability she rarely showed to anyone.
The purple silk dress she wore draped over her body, outlining the soft curve of her shoulders and the fullness of her chest as she leaned forward. She looked like a wilting peony—still breathtakingly beautiful, but burdened by the weight of her own bloom.
Shen Anyu's heart stirred. Not with pity, but with the urge to possess and control. A woman like this, strong on the outside but crumbling on the inside, was the perfect target for a villain's "support."
He put down his glass with a soft clink.
"Auntie," his voice dropped an octave, becoming gentle and magnetic, "you look very tired. The tension in your shoulders is visible even from here. Would you like me to massage your shoulders for you? I know some medical techniques that can relieve fatigue instantly."
As he spoke, he leaned forward slightly, encroaching on her personal space just enough to be intimate but not threatening.
Su Wanqing's heart warmed at his words. She looked up at Shen Anyu, startled from her gloomy thoughts.
She saw his incomparably handsome face, his eyes clear and filled with what looked like absolute sincerity and concern. There was no lust in his eyes (or so she thought), only the care of a junior for an elder.
'No wonder Mianmian, despite her bad temper, high standards, and delicate nature, is so obedient in front of An'yu,' she thought to herself, a flush rising on her neck. 'Such a man... handsome, considerate, capable, and wealthy. He truly possesses a charm that can make one's heart flutter. If I were twenty years younger...'
She quickly shook her head, dismissing the dangerous thought.
Su Wanqing offered a polite, tired smile. She shifted slightly on the sofa, pulling the collar of her dress a bit tighter—a subconscious defensive gesture against her own wandering thoughts.
"No need, An'yu. You are a guest, how can I let you serve me?"
She chuckled lightly, though the sound lacked her usual energy.
"The company has encountered some issues recently. Several supply chains were suddenly cut off, and there are competitors playing dirty tricks. Coupled with Mianmian almost getting into trouble with her health... I'm a bit exhausted. I'll be fine after some rest. Today, I'm taking a day off for myself."
Shen Anyu's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. 'Company issues? Supply chains cut off?'
In Shanghai, who dared to touch the business of the future mother-in-law of the Shen Family? This smelled of a plot. Perhaps another Protagonist's "Business War" arc opening up?
'Interesting,' Shen Anyu thought. 'It seems I need to clean up some trash again.'
He decided immediately to have his subordinates—specifically the team led by [Scarlett Smith]—investigate what had happened to Su Wanqing's company, [Jinxiu Mingcha], in Modu. If it was a suppression by a rival, he would crush them. If it was a Protagonist trying to "save the beauty," he would crush them even harder.
He stood up, pretending to reach for the teapot to refill her glass. As he passed by her, his hand brushed against her shoulder, lingering for a fraction of a second.
"Auntie, you shoulder too much. Let me handle the small things," he whispered.
At that moment of contact, a microscopic device detached from his fingertip.
[System Command: Deploy Nanometer Monitoring Robot (Grade A).]
[Target: Su Wanqing.]
[Status: Successfully attached to clothing fiber. Stealth Mode activated.]
He secretly left a nanometer monitoring robot on Su Wanqing.
It wasn't solely because he wanted to snoop on her private life (though the visual feed of a mature beauty like her was certainly a perk). It was primarily to "care" for Su Wanqing.
Su Hongmian's nominal adoptive mother was a poor, lonely woman fighting wolves in the business world. She needed protection. And surveillance was the highest form of protection in Shen Anyu's dictionary.
"Auntie, is there something you want to tell Mianmian and me?"
Shen Anyu sat back down, his expression turning serious. He crossed his legs, his posture relaxed yet commanding. He looked curiously at Su Wanqing.
"That's a very, very long story…"
Hearing Shen Anyu's question, Su Wanqing fell into contemplation and reminiscence.
The room went silent, save for the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner.
For a moment, she rested her chin in her hand. Her sharp, beautiful eyes behind her gold-rimmed glasses lost their focus. She looked vaguely at Shen Anyu in front of her, yet she wasn't seeing him. She seemed to be gazing into the void, piercing through the veil of time to a past filled with blood and snow.
Shen Anyu didn't rush her. He sipped his rice wine slowly, savoring the sweetness, his gaze calmly observing Su Wanqing.
Su Wanqing... the famous "Tea Queen" of Modu's business world. A self-made female tycoon with a net worth of nearly ten billion. A woman who commanded respect from men who usually dismissed women.
Now, she sat on the sofa, lost in reminiscence and thought.
Her posture was languid and beautiful. Her body leaned forward, her right hand propping her chin, her elbow resting on her thigh. This position pressed her arm against the side of her chest, accentuating the fullness of her curves under the silk dress. The slit of her dress slipped open slightly again, revealing the milky white skin of her thigh.
She looked like a classic oil painting of a melancholic noblewoman. Mature. Ripe. Full of stories that only a man with patience could unravel.
Shen Anyu's gaze was as clear as water, but deep in his pupils, a dark fire burned. He appreciated this scenery greatly.
After a minute of silence, Shen Anyu took the initiative to break the spell.
"Auntie," he asked softly, his voice cutting through her daze, "are you going to tell me Mianmian's true identity? Is it related to why she has such powerful latent talent, yet such fragile meridians?"
"Mm!"
Su Wanqing collected her thoughts. She blinked, the haze in her eyes clearing. Her beautiful eyes behind her gold-rimmed glasses focused sharply on Shen Anyu.
The softness vanished, replaced by the sharpness of a matriarch protecting her cub.
She suddenly asked:
"An'yu, I need to ask you something serious. And I need an honest answer."
"Please ask, Auntie."
"If you knew Mianmian's identity was very troublesome... and I mean very troublesome. If it involved enemies that could wipe out ordinary business families overnight. If it might even implicate you, your family, and your safety... would you still insist on being with Mianmian?"
She stared at him, trying to find any flicker of hesitation.
Shen Anyu found it amusing. He almost wanted to laugh.
It seemed Su Hongmian hadn't told Su Wanqing his true identity yet. Or perhaps Su Wanqing underestimated the weight of the name "Shen Anyu."
Troublesome?
He was the [Villain]. He was the one who caused trouble.
As the Young Master of the Yanxia Shen Family, a noble of a thousand-year-old top-tier aristocratic family with deep ties to the military and politics... As the owner of the [Destiny Villain System] who hunted protagonists for sport...
What identity could Su Hongmian possibly have that would make Shen Anyu feel troubled?
Even if she was the daughter of the Demon King, Shen Anyu would just conquer the Demon Realm and make the Demon King his father-in-law.
However, on the surface, he showed no arrogance. He knew exactly what a woman like Su Wanqing needed to hear. She didn't need a conqueror right now; she needed a knight.
Shen Anyu put down his glass. He leaned forward, locking eyes with her. His expression was solemn, his eyes burning with sincere and firm determination.
He stated powerfully, every word enunciated clearly:
"Auntie, you underestimate my feelings for Mianmian."
"No matter what Mianmian's identity is, or what troubles she has... be it gods or demons standing in her way... I will never abandon her!"
"She is my woman. Her enemies are my enemies. Her troubles are my troubles. If the sky falls, I will hold it up for her."
His voice echoed in the quiet room, filled with a domineering charisma that made Su Wanqing's heart skip a beat.
Hearing Shen Anyu's resolute words, Su Wanqing was deeply moved.
She felt a lump in her throat. For years, she had carried the burden alone, terrified that Mianmian's secret would destroy any chance of happiness the girl had. But now, this young man stood before her, fearless.
Her impression of Shen Anyu greatly increased. The meter in her heart (if she had one) would be hitting the red zone.
"Good... Good..." She whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
"Mianmian didn't choose the wrong person. I can rest assured entrusting her to you. You are a man of responsibility."
Having navigated the treacherous waters of the business world for twenty years, Su Wanqing also had her unique way of judging people. She prided herself on seeing through lies. And right now, looking at Shen Anyu, she felt that his words were not false or empty promises.
(And she was right—he wouldn't abandon her, because Su Hongmian was a high-value asset. But the motivation was different from what she imagined).
Immediately, Su Wanqing no longer procrastinated. She took a deep breath, steeling herself to open Pandora's Box.
"An'yu, do you know about the [Martial Arts World]?"
She lowered her voice, looking around instinctively as if walls had ears.
"Not those so-called 'lightning five-strike whip' traditional martial arts tricksters you see on TikTok, or the Sanda champions on TV."
"I mean the True Martial Arts World. The Jianghu. The world where the law of the jungle prevails, where people can crush steel with their bare hands, and where killing is... commonplace."
At this point, Su Wanqing looked at Shen Anyu with her beautiful eyes wide, searching for fear. She still felt a bit uneasy, as she was about to drag this young master of a wealthy family into dangerous disputes in the blood-soaked Martial Arts World. She feared he would think she was crazy.
Shen Anyu smiled.
He didn't look shocked. He didn't look scared.
He picked up his glass again, swirled the ice, and took a sip.
He looked at her with an indifferent, almost bored expression, as if she had asked if he knew that water was wet.
"I know about the Martial Arts World," he said calmly, his eyes reflecting a cold, predatory light that Su Wanqing missed.
"In fact, Auntie... someone in my family is from the Martial Arts World. And perhaps, I know it better than you think…"
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