Chapter 182 Xu Ruoshui agreed to a request!
"One condition?? That bastard, he definitely has ill intentions!"
When Xu Ping'an heard Shen Anyu's words through the glass—though muffled, he could read the lips and infer the tone—his face instantly darkened like a thunderstorm. He suspected that Shen Anyu was very likely to propose an ill-intentioned condition. A condition that involved his sister's body or dignity.
No, it wasn't suspicion, it was a certainty! A man like Shen Anyu didn't do favors for free.
Perhaps he would take even more advantage of his older sister, Xu Ruoshui, because of this!
"Sister! Don't listen to him! He's a wolf!"
Xu Ping'an slammed his hand against the invisible barrier, his nails scratching against the nothingness. He was tense and anxious, sweating profusely in the air-conditioned restaurant.
"You absolutely must not agree to that bastard Shen Anyu's condition… whatever it is, it's a trap!"
...
[Location: Inside the Private Booth]
At this moment, oblivious to the frantic monkey show outside, Xu Ruoshui looked at Shen Anyu with beautiful eyes. They were filled with emotion, tenderness, and a profound sense of gratitude.
"An'yu, you truly are thoughtful. You actually sent people to search for my biological younger brother, Xu He."
Her focus was first on the fact that Shen Anyu had voluntarily sent people to search for her biological younger brother, Xu He, whose whereabouts were unknown. This gesture deeply moved her. It touched the softest part of her heart—her guilt towards her family.
Even the Shanghai Xu Family, even her own parents, even Xu Ruoshui herself, all thought Xu He had died years ago, his bones eaten by wild beasts or washed away by the torrent. They had held a funeral. They had mourned.
But Shen Anyu, this man she had just met (formally) and had a very good impression of, had actually taken the initiative to send people to search for Xu He. Before she even asked. Before she even knew he knew.
How could Xu Ruoshui not be moved by such thoughtfulness and such a grand gesture? It showed he cared about her, not just her face or her status.
"An'yu... why did you do this? Why go to such lengths for a stranger?"
Listening to Xu Ruoshui's soft inquiry, her voice trembling with emotion, Shen Anyu almost laughed out loud in his heart.
'Why? Because finding him is part of the script to crush Xu Ping'an. And because it makes you fall for me.'
But on the surface, he looked deeply affectionate. He leaned forward, gazing into Xu Ruoshui's beautiful eyes with a look that could melt steel.
He said softly, his voice low and vibrating with sincerity:
"Ruoshui, do you believe in love at first sight?"
Xu Ruoshui blinked, her breath hitching.
"Last time, when I saw you at Tangquan No. 1... standing there looking helpless with your luggage... I fell in love at first sight."
"I saw a woman who carried the weight of the world on her shoulders with such grace. I wanted to know you. I wanted to help you."
"So, afterwards, I started inquiring about you. I learned about what happened to the Shanghai Xu Family… about the pain you were hiding behind that smile. And I decided I wanted to be the one to erase that pain."
Love at first sight!
Shen Anyu was not lying. Technically.
He fell in love at first sight with every Destined Heroine. He was determined to win them all over.
Every Destined Heroine was not only a top-tier goddess rated above nine points, each with unique qualities—aloofness, gentleness, fieriness—but also possessed massive [Destiny Value]. They were walking, talking gold mines. How could he not "love" them?
[Ding! Detected destined heroine Xu Ruoshui's favorability +3, plundered +9000 destiny value!]
[Ding! Detected destined heroine Xu Ruoshui's total favorability 80 (Deep Affection), plundered +30,000 destiny value!]
…
Xu Ruoshui was both shy and delighted. Her heart felt like it was doing somersaults.
She had a reserved and conservative personality. She grew up with strict family upbringing, attended an all-girls elite school, and later, when she took over the Family business as CEO, she had no thoughts of romance. She focused only on work and family duty.
How could she have ever heard such a passionate and fiery declaration of love?
Furthermore, if it were an ordinary man—one of those greasy business partners or arrogant young masters—confessing his deep affection to Xu Ruoshui in such a way, she wouldn't have cared too much. She would have politely rejected them.
But Shen Anyu was different.
Shen Anyu's handsomeness was otherworldly. His demeanor was noble. And his mysterious power—she had witnessed it firsthand in the Tangquan One Product Villa District.
He was like a god, suppressing the murderer Yan Lingxiao who slaughtered the entire family of Jinling's richest man. He was practically like Superman; a casual punch could shatter a car!
At that time, Xu Ruoshui already had a very good impression of Shen Anyu, with admiration and affection growing in her heart.
Especially since Shen Anyu had also taken the initiative to send people to search for her biological younger brother, Xu He.
How could Xu Ruoshui not be moved by such thoughtfulness and care? It was the ultimate romance—a hero saving the beauty and her family.
Listening to Shen Anyu's passionate confession, Xu Ruoshui felt an unspeakable joy bubbling up inside her.
Such a mysterious and incredible man, like a god walking among mortals, had fallen in love with her at first sight. This greatly satisfied her vanity as a woman.
At the same time, Xu Ruoshui also made sense of everything. The puzzle pieces fell into place.
No wonder, when they first met, Shen Anyu had so gracefully helped her pull out her luggage, disregarding his expensive suit.
No wonder Shen Anyu knew so much about her affairs and even sent people to search for Xu He…
It turned out to be love at first sight. He did it all for love.
"An'yu..."
Xu Ruoshui's pretty face was blushing a deep rose color. Her pearly white teeth bit her pink lower lip nervously. Her beautiful eyes avoided Shen Anyu's fiery gaze, unable to withstand the intensity.
"Won't it be a bit too fast…? We just met properly today."
Shen Anyu smiled. He reached out and covered her hand on the table again.
"It's alright. Love doesn't know time."
"I will help you get used to me. I will be patient. And I will help you accept me."
"Mm."
Upon hearing this, Xu Ruoshui immediately let out a sigh of relief. The pressure vanished, replaced by a warm anticipation.
Her beautiful eyes looked at Shen Anyu gratefully, and she softly said:
"I will also... gradually get used to you. And accept you in my life."
Listening to the words of Shen Anyu and Xu Ruoshui, Xu Ping'an's teeth were almost ground to dust outside the glass.
"Bastard! That bastard Shen Anyu…"
Being a man himself, he keenly sensed that the 'acceptance' Shen Anyu spoke of was definitely not what Xu Ruoshui understood. It was layered with innuendo.
"Get used to him? Accept him? Does she know what that means?!"
The eighty-eight-yuan ice cola in his hand was almost crushed by him, the glass creaking under the pressure.
Shen Anyu glanced at the gritting-toothed Xu Ping'an through the one-way glass, enjoying the show.
Then, with a smile, he looked at Xu Ruoshui and asked again, returning to the main topic:
"Ruoshui, if I can find Xu He alive... if I bring your brother back to you... will you grant me one condition?"
This time, Xu Ruoshui did not avoid his gaze. She had made up her mind.
Her beautiful eyes met Shen Anyu's, clear and resolute.
"An'yu, if you can truly create this miracle... if you bring back my real biological younger brother, Xu He, and heal my parents' hearts..."
"I can agree to one condition of yours! Anything within my power."
"Any condition?"
Shen Anyu raised an eyebrow. A playful, teasing smile appeared on his face.
Seeing Shen Anyu's expression, Xu Ruoshui's pretty face flushed again. She realized her words could be interpreted in many ways.
Her beautiful eyes seemed to be veiled in a misty haze, shimmering as she looked at Shen Anyu. Her heart raced. Was he going to ask for... her?
Her pearly teeth bit her lower lip, unable to speak. A part of her was afraid, but a part of her was... expecting it.
"Haha, don't worry, I won't make that kind of request yet. I am a gentleman."
Shen Anyu chuckled softly. He stood up.
He walked around the table and leaned close to Xu Ruoshui.
He leaned down until his lips were right next to her earlobe. He blew warm breath into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.
The ticklish sensation caused by the warm breath made Xu Ruoshui's delicate body tremble visibly. Her toes curled inside her sandals.
"I just need this…"
He whispered a few words.
The content of the whisper was low, audible only to her.
But Xu Ruoshui's reaction was immediate.
Her beautiful eyes widened instantly, as if she had heard some astonishing, taboo request. Her face turned from pink to a deep, burning crimson that spread down her neck to her chest.
Shen Anyu returned to his seat, sat down elegantly, and smiled at Xu Ruoshui:
"How about it? Do you agree? It's a fair trade for a brother's life."
Xu Ruoshui, this gentle, reserved, and elegant beauty, the eldest daughter of the Xu Family who had always been a model of propriety... couldn't help but glare at Shen Anyu.
It was a glare with no lethality, more like a coquettish complaint.
She spat out, her voice trembling with embarrassment:
"An'yu... you... you actually have that kind of fetish?"
She was still astonished. The Shen Anyu who had appeared as a graceful gentleman, a hero, a god... had actually made such a peculiar, intimate, and slightly deviant request.
"It's not a fetish. It's an appreciation of art," Shen Anyu said shamelessly.
"Then do you agree?"
Shen Anyu looked at Xu Ruoshui with interest, his eyes locking onto hers.
Xu Ruoshui bit her pinkish-white lips with her pearly teeth. She glared at Shen Anyu with her beautiful eyes, her mind warring between shame and desire to please him.
But ultimately, thinking of Xu He, and thinking of the man in front of her... she couldn't refuse.
She lowered her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum:
"I... I agree."
…
"What did she agree to?!"
"What special request did Sister actually agree to from that beast Shen Anyu??"
Outside the glass, Xu Ping'an was going crazy.
He felt as if a thousand ants were crawling inside his heart, biting and stinging.
He pressed himself against the transparent glass, his ear glued to the cold surface, stretching his neck to the limit, wishing he were a giraffe or had super hearing.
He wanted to hear Shen Anyu and Xu Ruoshui's whispered secrets. He needed to know what "fetish" she was talking about.
Scratching his ears and cheeks, he looked like a complete monkey in a zoo, causing other diners in the restaurant to cast strange glances his way. They whispered among themselves, looking at him as if looking at a circus clown or a madman.
But Xu Ping'an couldn't care less about those things. He couldn't care less about dignity.
Listening to the shy and annoyed voice of his sister Xu Ruoshui (which he could hear through the one-way barrier now that she spoke louder), and seeing the annoying, triumphant smile on Shen Anyu's face... Xu Ping'an was burning with anxiety.
Xu Ping'an had a very bad premonition in his heart.
Fetish? What kind of fetish? Feet? Costumes? Or something worse?
Unfortunately, he was blocked by this strange transparent glass. He couldn't get through.
What exactly did she agree to?
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