Chapter 183 You are so sexy...
"That Xu He has been missing for several days after falling off the cliff; he must be dead. Shen Anyu won't be able to find him…"
Just then, lurking in the shadows outside the glass barrier, a dark thought suddenly arose in Xu Ping'an's mind. It was a thought so ugly he almost didn't recognize it as his own.
That is, the true Young Master of the Shanghai Xu Family, Xu He, had fallen off a cliff and died years ago. His bones must have been eaten by wild beasts or washed into the ocean, making him impossible for Shen Anyu to find.
As long as Shen Anyu couldn't find him, his older sister, Xu Ruoshui, wouldn't need to fulfill her promise to Shen Anyu. She wouldn't have to agree to that mysterious "condition."
"How could I have such a thought?"
Xu Ping'an was startled by his own malice. He shook his head violently.
That true Young Master of the Xu Family, Xu He, had no grievances or enmity with him. In fact, Xu He was the innocent victim. So why would he wish for Xu He to be dead?
In reality, deep down in his subconscious, even Xu Ping'an himself didn't realize the envy and jealousy he felt towards the Xu Family's true Young Master.
Even though he had already usurped Xu He's twenty years of luxurious life as the Xu Family's Young Master—eating his food, spending his money, enjoying his parents' love—he still resented him.
If Xu He didn't exist in this world... If he had just died quietly at birth...
Then Xu Ping'an might still be the well-off Young Master of the Xu Family. He wouldn't have been kicked out. He wouldn't have to rack his brains to counterattack. He would still be enjoying the care of his parents and older sisters.
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xu Ping'an has begun to turn dark, plundering +50,000 destiny value!]
…
[Location: Inside the Private Booth]
"Heh heh, too bad I'm going to disappoint you…"
Shen Anyu raised his eyebrow slightly as he sipped his tea. He swept a half-smile glance over the invisible barrier where Xu Ping'an was hiding. He could almost smell the stench of the protagonist's corruption.
The matter of the Xu Family's true Young Master falling off a cliff was orchestrated by Shen Anyu himself (or rather, he intervened in the timeline).
Now, Xu He wasn't dead. Nor was he suffering in a dungeon.
Xu He was already in Shen Anyu's hands. He was currently housed in a high-end apartment owned by the [Golden House], provided with unlimited high-speed internet, top-tier gaming rigs, and endless snacks. He was playing a certain open-world gacha game day and night, a complete internet addict who had zero interest in returning to the Xu Family.
Shen Anyu could make Xu He appear whenever he wanted him to. He was a chess piece stored in a box.
Even Xu He himself didn't know that the subsequent events—his "rescue," his comfortable life—were related to Shen Anyu's grand scheme.
Controlling Xu He was a trump card. It was the key to conquering Xu Ruoshui and Xu Ruoxue, and for manipulating the mother, Wang Qin.
It was just not the right time yet to play that card. The drama needed to build.
Shen Anyu's peripheral vision caught Xu Ping'an's fluctuating expression through the glass—fear, malice, confusion. A playful look flashed in his eyes.
He turned to Xu Ruoshui, his expression shifting to one of gentle concern.
"Ruoshui, I almost forgot. I was originally going to discuss Xu Ping'an's matter with you."
Xu Ruoshui's beautiful eyes looked at Shen Anyu curiously, putting down her chopsticks.
"Ping'an? What's wrong with him?"
Shen Anyu leaned back, observing her reaction closely.
"Ruoshui... you still care about that fake younger brother, don't you? Even after everything?"
Shen Anyu asked, knowing the answer. He wanted to force her to admit it, to solidify Xu Ping'an's hope before crushing it.
Xu Ping'an's heart skipped a beat outside. He pressed his ear against the glass, pricking up his ears like a desperate dog. He nervously and expectantly awaited his older sister Xu Ruoshui's reply.
"Does my older sister still care about me? Does she miss me?"
…
Xu Ruoshui met Shen Anyu's curious gaze. Her eyes softened, filled with a complex emotion that blended sisterly affection with moral obligation.
She sighed softly and said:
"An'yu, blood isn't everything. Although I know Ping'an is a fake younger brother... after twenty years of living together, eating at the same table, watching him grow from a baby to a man... even raising a pet would develop deep feelings, let alone a person?"
"The matter of the 'Civet Cat for a Prince'—where he and my biological younger brother Xu He were swapped—cannot be blamed on Ping'an. He was an infant. He didn't choose this."
"Even the culprit, Nanny Wang Qin... our Xu Family didn't blame her too much legally, though we fired her. Let alone Ping'an? He is also a victim of fate."
She took a sip of water to calm her emotions.
"It's just that... my father doesn't want to see him anymore. Every time he sees Ping'an, he remembers Xu He suffering outside. To avoid painful memories, he lashed out."
"My father's health was already not good, and after this incident, it worsened. He suffered a mild stroke."
"My father declared he never wants to see Wang Qin and Ping'an again, wanting to completely sever ties and kick Ping'an out of the genealogy. I can't persuade him right now, lest he fall ill from anger."
"So I stayed silent. But... I plan to wait until my father's anger subsides. Then, I will find a way to take care of Ping'an financially. I won't let him starve."
Listening to Xu Ruoshui's explanation, Xu Ping'an, who was eavesdropping nearby, felt a rush of warmth. Tears welled up in his eyes.
He suddenly understood. She didn't hate him! She was protecting him from the father's wrath!
"I knew it! I knew it!" he muttered excitedly, wiping his eyes. "My older sister definitely wouldn't be so heartless; she still remembers me. She still loves me!"
Seeing Xu Ping'an's moved and excited expression through the glass, Shen Anyu found it amusing.
If he hadn't made Xu Ruoshui say it now, according to the typical plot of true and false young masters, this misunderstanding would drag on for hundreds of chapters.
Xu Ping'an would hate his sister, clash with the Xu Family, act cool, slap faces, and eventually "conquer" them with his success.
But now, Shen Anyu had gone straight to the point, directly clarifying these misunderstandings early.
But don't misunderstand. Shen Anyu wasn't doing this to help Xu Ping'an.
He was doing it to lift Xu Ping'an up to the clouds... so he could drop him into the abyss.
"I see. You are truly kind, Ruoshui," Shen Anyu said, his tone turning grave.
"However... there is something you need to know. Something that happened yesterday."
"Yesterday, Xu Ping'an got into a fight and injured someone seriously. He got himself arrested and detained by the police. Ruoshui, did you know?"
"What?!"
Xu Ruoshui gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.
"How could this be? Arrested?"
Listening to Shen Anyu's words, Xu Ruoshui's pretty face showed deep shock and disbelief, followed by a worried question:
"Is Ping'an alright? Is he hurt?"
Shen Anyu smiled faintly and said:
"Xu Ping'an is fine. He didn't get a scratch. But the person he hit... is seriously injured. Several people were hospitalized with broken bones and internal bleeding."
"How could that be?"
Xu Ruoshui was utterly surprised; she knew that Xu Ping'an had never fought before. He was a spoiled young master with a thin build. How could he injure someone, let alone several people?
Shen Anyu took out his phone.
"I have the surveillance footage. My people investigated it to help him."
He smiled and explained:
"Xu Ping'an went to the [Black Dragon Bar] in Shanghai—a notorious underground venue. He went to the underground arena and demanded to participate in a death match. Seeing that the managers disagreed, he actively injured several bouncers to 'show his strength'."
Saying that, Shen Anyu played the surveillance video on his phone screen, placing it on the turntable so she could see.
It was a high-definition video (courtesy of the System).
In the video, Xu Ping'an stood amidst a pile of groaning men. He looked deranged.
"Trash! All of you are trash!"
"I'm not just talking about one of you; every single one of you is trash! I am the King!"
…
Watching the video, seeing Xu Ping'an's face twisted with arrogance, ferocity, and smugness... seeing him kick a fallen man... and then seeing him being dragged away by the police while screaming obscenities...
Xu Ruoshui simply couldn't believe it!
Her hands trembled.
"Ping'an... Ping'an actually went to such a place? To a dark underground arena? And he beat people up like a thug?"
After she reacted, Xu Ruoshui's gentle and beautiful face showed deep, crushing disappointment. It was the look of a parent realizing their child has gone astray.
In her heart, although her younger brother Xu Ping'an was a bit of a dissolute and unreliable fop who spent money recklessly, he wasn't a bad person. He wasn't violent.
But now… the evidence was undeniable.
"Older sister! No! It's not like that!"
Xu Ping'an screamed outside the glass.
"Those people provoked me first! They looked down on me! I was just defending my dignity!"
Xu Ping'an was in a great hurry. Seeing the look of disappointment and heartbreak on his older sister Xu Ruoshui's pretty face was like a knife in his heart.
He desperately wanted to explain, to tell her about his System, about his need to rise. But he was blocked by the transparent glass.
He pounded on the barrier, but no sound escaped. He was a mime in a box.
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xu Ping'an is feeling aggrieved and annoyed, plundering +9999 destiny value!]
…
"Shen Anyu! It's all Shen Anyu!"
"He is sowing discord! He is fanning the flames! He is editing the video! He is twisting facts!"
Xu Ping'an looked at Shen Anyu with pure hatred, feeling that Shen Anyu was the devil behind all this mischief.
Shen Anyu raised his eyebrow. He saw the rage.
He decided to play the "Good Guy."
He spoke gently to Xu Ruoshui, his voice soothing:
"Ruoshui, don't be too upset. Perhaps we misunderstood. Ping'an is your younger brother; you know him best. He shouldn't get into fights and injure people without reason. There might be another cause. Maybe he was provoked? Or maybe he was under bad influence after leaving home?"
Listening to Shen Anyu's comfort—which sounded like he was defending Xu Ping'an—Xu Ruoshui forced a bitter smile. She felt a little better knowing Shen Anyu was so understanding.
She murmured:
"That's right... Ping'an is the younger brother I watched grow up; he shouldn't be such a violent hoodlum. It must be a misunderstanding. But... he needs to be disciplined."
Xu Ping'an was immediately stunned. He froze.
Unable to believe his ears.
The scoundrel Shen Anyu... the man he hated most... actually defended him?
Could it be?
Could it be that he had always been prejudiced against Shen Anyu and misunderstood him??
Could it be that Shen Anyu was actually a good person???
Xu Ping'an felt a wave of confusion and cognitive dissonance.
"Guest, please pay the bill."
Suddenly, the cold voice of reality interrupted his existential crisis.
The restaurant manager appeared in front of Xu Ping'an at the opportune moment, holding a bill.
"One iced cola is eighty-eight yuan. And the 'Private Booth Occupancy Fee'—since you blocked the aisle for an hour—is nine hundred ninety-nine yuan!"
"What? Table fee nine hundred ninety-nine? Why don't you just rob me?"
Xu Ping'an exploded. He only had two hundred yuan in pocket money given by his mother Wang Qin this morning. That wasn't even enough for the taxi fare back home, let alone this extortion!
"Guest, do you want to dine and dash?" The manager's face turned cold.
"Dine and dash your mother's head! I only drank an eighty-eight iced cola! This is a scam!"
Xu Ping'an was furious. His temper, already frayed, snapped.
He slapped away the restaurant manager's hand holding the bill.
Smack!
It was a light slap. He just wanted to knock the paper away.
However, just then...
The restaurant manager's eyes flashed with a strange light. He suddenly let out a tragic, blood-curdling cry.
"Ahhh! Murder!"
He threw himself backward as if hit by a truck. He bit a capsule in his mouth, and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Crash!
He fell to the ground dramatically, twitching.
Swish, swish, swish!
Everyone in the restaurant—diners, waiters, security—looked over in shock.
Shen Anyu also opportunely removed the special transparent glass barrier with a thought. The sound of the chaos flooded into the private booth.
A smile played on his lips as he watched the scene.
'Damage Reflection Aura? Meet the Damage Fabrication Aura.'
Meeting his older sister Xu Ruoshui's shocked and disappointed gaze as she turned to see him standing over a "dying" man...
Xu Ping'an was dumbfounded…
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