《Strategy to Capture Men》


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1 Origins & World Zero: All Routines (1)


    Human fortunes are as unpredictable as the weather. Such as Han Yanyan, she died with a quack!


    She is also confused.


    She drove her car and conceived a new story while driving. The night sky above her head suddenly lit with a dazzling light. Her last memory was about in the white light which made her couldn¡¯t open eyes, and a van rushed towards her, the picture of the memory was fixed then.


    In fact, what made her more confused than her dying with a quack was that she had consciousness after she died! It turns out that the soul really exists?


    She was standing in a pure white space at this moment. Above the head and below and feet were pure white and bright, but she didn¡¯t know where the light came from. In such a weird space, Han Yanyan didn¡¯t panic but instead walked in a hurry.


    Either MengPo Soup or Heaven, there must be a guide in those myths, and Han Yanyan was quite confident that she didn¡¯t need to worry about it.


    Sure enough, she only took a few steps, and a voice rang out in the space. But it is neither Meng Po nor Angel, but a robotic electronic synthesizer.


    ¡°Han Yanyan, you have been selected.¡± The voice sounded.


    When she heard the name ¡°Han Yanyan¡±, she was stunned. But she remained calm and didn¡¯t say anything, just quietly sweeping her eyes over the pure white glowing head, hoping to find the provenance of the voice.


    No one talked, and after a few embarrassing seconds, the electronic sound had to go on to say, ¡°You have been selected by the ¡®Quick-Transmigration World¡¯. Next, you will travel to a different world as a tasker and complete the tasks assigned to you by the system.¡±


    After the surprise brought to her by the name, the word ¡°Quick-Transmigration World¡± could not bring more astonishment to Han Yanyan. When she heard the electronic sound, she just moved her eyebrows slightly, with her expression remained unchanged.


    After experiencing the embarrassment just now, this time the electronic sound no longer played the tricks of cat and mouse, and said straightforwardly: ¡°You will enter different worlds and take different target characters down. I will give you certain capabilities or conditions to assist you to get the tasks done more efficiently. ¡°


    The electronic sound uses a word that was familiar to Han Yanyan, it said, ¡°Han Yanyan, what Golden Fingers do you want? You can put it here.¡±


    Alas, ¡°Quick-Transmigration World¡± had appeared, could ¡°Golden Finger¡± be far away?


    Han Yanyan did not directly ask for Golden Finger, but calmly asked, ¡°Am I dead? I mean, I¡¯m a real person?¡±


    The electronic sound said, ¡°Not yet, but not far from death.¡±


    Han Yanyan frowned.


    The electronic sound said, ¡°So you are very lucky to meet me. If you can complete the task I entrusted to you, I will save your body and give you a surprising reward. So now we get to the topic, In the Quick-Transmigration World, what kind of Gold Finger do you want?¡±


    Han Yanyan noticed that the premise of rescuing and rewarding her was ¡°complete the task¡±. What if it could not be completed? Han Yanyan felt that there was no need to ask, the answer was actually very simple and clear.


    She looked down and thought for a moment, and raised her eyes, ¡°If it is a peaceful world, I will have a peerless beauty and extremely wealthy. If it is life-threatening, I will have extraordinary strength.


    The electronic sound was silent. Han Yanyan was not in a hurry, so she stood quietly waiting for an answer.


    After a long time, the electronic voice said, ¡°Sorry, your request cannot be granted.¡±


    Han Hanyan: ¡°¡­¡±


    The electronic sound said: ¡°Peerless beauty, extreme wealth and extraordinary strength, the three conditions you listed almost constitute perfect conditions. According to previous experience, those who have perfect conditions have a higher probability of failure. We decided that just give you restricted conditions. ¡°


    Han Yanyan keenly captured the keyword ¡°we¡±.


    The electronic sound said, ¡°As for Gold Finger, we will discuss it later. Now, do you have any questions about the task?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Han Yanyan said, ¡°What is the task? What are the requirements of taking targets down? How is the task completed? What are the criteria?¡±


    ¡°You will enter one or more¡­ definitely several worlds!¡± the electronic sound said, ¡°in each world, there is a dominating character related to your task. Your goal is to¡­ change him and let him have differences.¡±


    This time, Han Yanyan genuinely showed with a stunning face.


    ¡°What the hell is this mission?¡± She frowned, ¡°How is it a change? How do I know that the target object has changed? What is it measured by?¡±


    The electronic sound ¡°coughed¡±, ¡°In short, I have my own standard of measurement. This is beyond the scope of your understanding, so don¡¯t ask more.¡±


    What the hell? Others¡¯ quick transmigration, either to approach someone until that person has 100 degrees of favorable impression or to complete the original owner¡¯s will, even if the resolution of the original owner¡¯s obsession is cleared. How come she was so vague?


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about these. I scanned you. You are a very potential builder. I am very optimistic about you. You try it first, and it¡¯s simpler¡­ Oh!¡± The electronic sound said half of it, interrupted suddenly with anxious, ¡°I forgot to mark you!¡±


    The last memory in Han Yanyan¡¯s mind was the mechanical, synthetic electronic voice that said coldly, ¡°Mark.¡±


    Even though the preceding speech showed as a human, this ¡°mark¡± seems to have suddenly lost all his feelings, and the words outlined by hearing were like a cold machine.


    After the icy ¡°mark¡±, nothing seemed to happen. Han Yanyan was still standing in this white light space, but her brain is hollow, and it seems a little dazed.


    She seemed to¡­ forgot something important¡­


    ¡°Well, please prepare, I will send you in.¡± The electronic sound said, ¡°This is what you do well, I hope you can still do well, don¡¯t let me down. Just as you said, let that¡­ that target fall in love with you if love really can change a person like what you said.¡±


    The electronic sound paused and said coldly, ¡°remember, your body is dying, and whether you can live or not depends on your performance. If you performed well, I can not only save your life but also reward you. But if you disappointed me, I¡¯ll let you run your own course.¡±


    After a moment of trance and loss, Han Yanyan frowned when she heard the words of electronic sounds. There are too many inexplicable things and too many questions to ask, but the electronic sound did not give her any chance to ask questions. After intimidating Han Yanyan, the electronic sound said mechanically and without emotion: ¡°The world is generated.¡±


    The white light disappeared before Han Yanyan¡¯s eyes, and a flash of darkness made her eyes closed involuntarily.


    At the moment when her eyes were closed, a lot of information poured into her head.


    Here¡­ it was a modern metropolis. She, Han Yanyan, was a grass-root, white-collar worker, who was wandering in a metropolis and barely able to support herself. She rented a house, had no immovable property-real estate, spent all her salary every month. So to speak, she was very poor.


    After receiving the background information and his own personal information, Han Yanyan looked down, held the mug in her hand, and looked around again. The place she was in seemed to be a tea room. When she was thinking, the door of the tea room was pushed open, and a girl¡¯s excited face popped up, ¡°Yanyan! Yanyan! Come soon! Someone sent you flowers!¡±


    She grabbed Han Yanyan¡¯s wrist and pulled her out while she speaking.


    Li Yan, was a colleague, roommate of Han Yanyan.


    Information is quickly generated in Han Yanyan¡¯s mind. She was pulled away by Li Yan, and as she stepped out of the threshold, a living world unfolded in front of her eyes.


    Lined office space, typing keyboards sound, phone calls, the sound of document turning, conversation¡­ This was a busy office. At this time, several female colleagues were crowding around her work station, seeing her come out and joking about her.


    ¡°Yanyan, is this a boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not cheap for such a large bouquet of perfume lilies.¡±


    ¡°Wow, I¡¯m so envious.¡±


    Before Han Yanyan saw it, the aroma came first. She walked over, with others turning away, a large bunch of lilies lying quietly on her desk, which was particularly piercing.


    The owner returned, her colleagues joked a few words and returned to work. Han Yanyan sat back in her seat and pulled out the card between the flowers to open it.


    [Thank you. ¨CZheng Yao]


    Also, a check of 100,000 yuan was attached to the card.


    Everything that the eye saw was converted into a signal that was fed back to the brain. Many information that had not been available before were triggered and activated in a second, as if that information had been there all the time, and waiting for any keywords to trigger.


    Zheng Yao, CEO of Zheng¡¯s Group, the foremost rich man in city C.


    Two nights ago, Zheng Yao¡¯s mother had an accident and needed a blood transfusion. She is RH negative, a rare blood type. Coincidentally, Han Yanyan who went to the hospital to visit a friend was also RH negative, and she rolled up his sleeves and donated blood immediately.


    Everyone turned around the noble lady, and Han Yanyan, who had donated blood, left without a word. In the corridor, a group of men in black suits broke in like a gust of wind. Leaving no chance, they pulled her aside and cleared the way for the men in the crowd. Han Yanyan was in dizziness after donating so much blood. She hit the wall suddenly and her head swollen. She fainted for a long time and left slowly.


    For the man, she didn¡¯t even see a back view, because her sight was blocked by a group of big men in black suits, and she only heard leather shoes stepping on the floor, hurriedly and forcefully.


    Of course, ¡°Han Yanyan¡± so far was more like a character, a symbol. The real Han Yanyan opened her eyes to this world only two minutes ago.


    Han Yanyan held the thank-you card and cash check at this moment. The activated information in her mind made her knew that the man surrounded by the black suit that night was Zheng Yao, the man she wanted to approach in this world.


    At that time, he just got off the plane. He came all the way from the airport as soon as he heard the news of his mother¡¯s accident. It¡¯s a filial son, but he doesn¡¯t take others seriously, such as a passerby clerk like Han Yanyan. For Han Yanyan, she almost saved Mrs. Zheng¡¯s life, but there were only the words ¡°thank you¡±, not to say in person.


    Of course, there was still a check of 100,000 yuan. This was not a trivial matter. In fact, Han Yanyan had just worked for less than a year, and her salary was less than 100,000 a year.


    For a small employee like Han Yanyan, 100,000 yuan was too much. For the rich and powerful man like Zheng Yao, the problems that money can solve were no problems.


    The story between them was typical like domineering CEO and Cinderella.


    When Han Yanyan was not famous before, she could not make money through her writing, and she made living for being a gunman for others. She can write 30,000 words a day, and the stories were similar to the story between the domineering CEO and Cinderella. She wrote to vomit. No wonder the electronic sound said ¡°this is what you¡¯re good at¡±, which was right.


    Hey, domineering CEO¡­ Han Yanyan moved his mouth slightly, put the card in the drawer, tore the check into pieces, and threw it into the trash can.


    Domineering CEO saw too many women were snobs, therefore, who could attract such a man must be a Cinderella who is upright, kind, pure and does not love money at all!


    Translator¡¯s Notes:


    Meng Po Soup: a kind of soup in Chinese folklore that you can forget all your memories about troubles and all your love and hatred after drinking.


    Gold Finger: it means a kind of strong ability provide the protagonist with effortless access.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2 World Zero: All Routines (2)


    The CEO wrote a terminable cash check. It was discovered that Cinderella had not taken the money when it was on time. He found the girl had a noble heart without greed through her poor poverty. This routine was written too much by Han Yanyan as a gunman. It all happened more than ten years ago, and at that time it was all such a routine of ancient Mary Su.


    Han Yanyan patted the confetti on her hand, smiled slightly, and got up to go to the bathroom.


    Her brain has received enough information, and now she knew everything that Han Yanyan should know in this world. After that, she found the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror.


    Her face and body were very young. She had just left the campus, her eyes were still clear, and the scholar air between her eyebrows was matched with a long black straight hair, giving the first impression of ¡°clean¡±, which is pure and moving.


    The electronic sound is a niggard. She wanted the incomparable beauty, but the electronic voice refused, only to give her such a face. In terms of the difficulty of this overbearing CEO¡¯s strategy, it can only be said to be barely satisfactory.


    Han Yanyan looked at the mirror and exhaled a long breath.


    Now she had the beauty and routines. It seemed as if it had set up the stage, everyone dressed up, and what she only need to do was to play the role step by step.


    At that time, Han Yanyan¡¯s real concerned was not the content of this play, but something else outside the play.


    First of all, what the hell was this fucking ¡°Quick-transmigration world¡±? With the arrogant air of the electronic sounds, he probably won¡¯t give her a clear answer.


    Then let¡¯s put this issue aside, and take care of her current situation first. According to the electronic voice, she should now be in a state of dying. Her life depended on the electronic sound now, if she wanted to live, she has to take orders from the electronic sounds and complete the shit task in this hell Quick-transmigration world.


    OK, she accepted. After all, living is more important than anything. As for whether she was a ghost now, whether the soul was out of consciousness or the consciousness was out of the body, it was the most subtle thing instead. Han Yanyan didn¡¯t care.


    Then the third was that this ¡°Quick-transmigration world¡± itself. These three words and the name ¡°Han Yanyan¡± made her felt ridiculous.


    The electronic sound mentioned the task before, and the metrics given were ambiguous. Fortunately, when she was sent to the world, she was given a specific aim, which was, made the target object fell in love with her.


    But Han Yanyan clearly remembered that the electronic voice also said, ¡°if love can really change a person as you said¡±. So, when did she talk about the topic of ¡°love¡± with the electronic sound? Okay, this question was unsolved and temporarily put on hold.


    From the words of the electronic voice, Han Yanyan accurately seized the key information. The electronic voice gave her such a mission goal, after all, it was to ¡°change¡± the target person. Why?


    And¡­ Han Yanyan looked into her eyes. She was very mindful of a word-the builder.


    It said that she was a very potential builder, so what exactly was a builder?


    Also, the last word she heard before the moment when she was thrown into trance was ¡°mark¡±.


    Too many questions were unsolved, and no answer was expected in the short or even long term. Han Yanyan looked at herself in the mirror and decided to set aside all these issues for the time being, and complete this task first.


    Just like the routine Han Yanyan expected, half a month later, she received another strange call.


    ¡°Hello Miss Han, my surname is He, I am Mr. Zheng¡¯s secretary,¡± said the man on the phone.


    Han Yanyan knowingly asked, ¡°Which Mr. Zheng?¡±


    ¡°Zheng Yao, President of the Zheng Group.¡±


    Han Yanyan asked in a confused tone, ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Zheng gave you a cash check of 100,000 with a bunch of flowers before. It showed that the check has expired, but you did not draw the money.¡± Secretary He said.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Han Yanyan pretends to be enlightened. ¡°Remembered! I did receive such a check because it was inexplicable, and I just threw it away. All right, Could you tell me what is going on here?¡±


    Secretary He laughed, ¡°Did Miss Han think you had encountered a liar? Don¡¯t worry, you have misunderstood. You donated blood for Mr. Zheng¡¯s mother in half a month ago. The 100,000 yuan was for thanking you.


    ¡°That.¡± Han Yanyan said with relief, chuckling, ¡°It is no need to give me money, that¡¯s what I should do.¡±


    Secretary He also laughed, ¡°gratitude is necessary, how about this, I¡¯ll ask someone to send another check to Miss Han again. This time, I won¡¯t write a date.¡±


    Han Yanyan said, ¡°don¡¯t bother, and I won¡¯t withdraw anyway, I said that was not a big deal, you have already sent flowers, thank Mr. Zheng for me and lily is my favorite.¡±


    Secretary He did not make it difficult for her, he said happily, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll convey it for you.¡±


    The next day, when another bunch of lilies was delivered to the office, Han Yanyan knew that the fish was hooked.


    Although she said that a bunch of lilies was enough, Mrs. Zheng was RH negative. Given the rarity of RH negative, Zheng Yao, the filial son would not leave Han yanyan, the mobile blood, bank indifferent.


    As expected, she received a call from Secretary He again, ¡°Ms. Han, Mr. Zheng said that since you like flowers, you will receive flowers every day from now on, he hopes you like it.¡±


    Han Yanyan did not refuse this time, she said, ¡°Please thank Mr. Zheng on behalf of me, I¡­ I like it very much.¡±


    After that, Zheng Yao really delivered a bouquet of flowers to the office on time every day. For a while, the company rumored that she was being pursued by the rich second generation, and some people said that she was being raised by moneybags.


    There are many opinions in the office, but Han Yanyan doesn¡¯t care. Sometimes she raised her head in her seat, looked around, and saw these living people. These people either smiled at her or showed contempt or envy.


    But none of these matters, because in this world, these people¡­ were just NPCs for the tasks she has to perform.


    Nothing more.


    As a tasker in this quick-transmigration world, when she looked at them, she knew who each of them was and what background they had.


    For example, Li Yan, when she first saw her, she knew who she was. She knew that she was from a small town in the south. Li Yan had parents and a brother 20-year-old younger than her. In this city, there was a fellow student who called her from time to time hanging her as a spare tire.


    For instance, secretary He, when Han Yanyan received his first phone call, knew he was a tall and fair-skinned man, knew where did he from, and even what brand of lipstick his girlfriend liked.


    All of this information was obtained from the electronic voice as the tasker. Because of the existence of this information, Han Yanyan, who seemed to have opened the wisdom eye, was not in a hurry, waiting patiently for the appearance of an important NPC.


    It lived up to her expectations after she had been receiving a month of lilies, that important NPC appeared.


    The rich girl with a large dove-egg-like diamond ring on his hand took two bodyguards behind her. The lady at the front desk couldn¡¯t stop them, that rich girl rushed straight into the office and confirmed who Han Hanyan was and slapped her.


    The office was breathing inwardly. Han Yanyan¡¯s mouth was bloodstained.


    ¡°I¡¯m Zheng Yao¡¯s fianc¨¦e, I¡¯ll give you a little lesson today to see who you are, and stay away from my fianc¨¦ in the future.¡± This rich girl dropped a check scornfully, ¡°Hold the money and leave this city. The next time I see you, it won¡¯t be as simple as slapping.¡±


    After speaking, she took the bodyguard and left with her head up.


    In the complicated sight of many colleagues, Han Yanyan wiped the bloodstains on the corners of his mouth, picked up the check on the ground, and did not see it. She tore it in half and threw it into the basket next to her, and then went out.


    A gossipy colleague can¡¯t wait to pick up a torn check from the wastebasket behind her, and then exclaimed, ¡°So rich, one million!¡±


    Han Yanyan¡­ who has already reached the exit of the office area staggered!


    The front desk lady kindly gave her a hand and said worriedly, ¡°Yanyan, are you all right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ help me take a day-off. I¡¯m not feeling well today, I want to left early today.¡± Han Yanyan forced her convulsive face and left.


    OMG! Only a million!


    Looking at the mighty look of that rich girl, Han Yanyan thought it would be at least 5 million or 10 million!


    Did she have to be so stingy?


    When Han Yanyan used to write stories of the overbearing president, the president¡¯s mom, the fianc¨¦e of the president, the secret crush of the president, and the president¡¯s lover, they all could casually take a check and said, ¡°Give you a hundred million, leave my son / fianc¨¦ / he!¡±


    Why did she finally find her a million dollars when it turns to her?


    Han Yanyan sighed: really cheap.


    Han Yanyan left the office, cleared her throat, made a phone call to secretary He, and recounted what she had just said, and then said, ¡°This must be a misunderstanding. I hope Mr. Zheng can clarify the misunderstanding with his fianc¨¦e and don¡¯t cause any displeasure with me anymore. ¡°


    ¡°By the way, that lily flower, I hope Mr. Zheng won¡¯t send me in the future. There is really no need. I appreciate his kindness, but it¡¯s just a simple favor. Let¡¯s stop there.¡± Her voice was gentle, but moderate with slightly bitter after choking.


    It must be the kind girl who was aggrieved at the impolite young lady!


    Secretary He sighed softly, soothed Han Yanyan, and promised her, ¡°Mr. Zheng will definitely solve it.¡±


    Mr. Zheng¡¯s solution was to send Secretary He there the next day, holding a lot of red roses, and a diamond bracelet.


    As a kind and innocent Cinderella, Han Yanyan certainly expressed a clear rejection of the diamond bracelet. But secretary He came with a mission. His mission was to get Han Yanyan to accept the diamond bracelet.


    The people who can hang around such a president must a very capable person. Secretary He convinced Han Yanyan with his silver tongue, ¡°It¡¯s actually a smoke bomb. Ms. Cao is very irritable and fierce recently because her relationship with Mr. Zheng has been a little unpleasant these days. If you are insignificant, she is very likely to do something to you again. Mr. Zheng intentionally made a gesture to show her to let you know that you are the person that Mr. Zheng cares about, and she would not dare to beat you randomly. This is for your safety.¡±


    He rotated his eyeballs, and was plausible, ¡°Mr. Zheng will continue to give you precious gifts in the next few months in order to be realistic. If you don¡¯t want to take it, no problem, you could save and return it to Mr. Zheng when everything is over.¡±


    Heard this forced reason that shit doesn¡¯t work, the kind and pure Cinderella Han Yanyan readily accepted, ¡± I will collect it for Mr. Zheng and wait for Miss Cao and his affairs to be resolved, and I will return it to you then.¡±


    Secretary He left with a cheerful mood to complete the task satisfactorily.


    When Han Yanyan returned to her seat, she put the diamond bracelet on her wrist, which aroused envy among colleagues. The previous rumors of ¡°fighting with the wealthy girl for a rich man¡± were also confirmed by this bracelet.


    Han Yanyan looked at the bright diamond on his wrist, and slightly moved the corner of his mouth.


    Zheng Yao sent her a high-profile red rose every day and sent precious gifts from time to time. Their affair was confirmed, even if the two of them have never met.


    Because the truth was that Mr. Zheng Zheng didn¡¯t want to marry Miss Cao at all. Instead of, he also secretly planned to buy Cao Group.


    In order to delay the marriage, he deliberately quarreled with Miss Cao. Later, Miss Cao made an investigation and found that Secretary He had been sending flowers to a white-collar worker in the name of Zheng Yao, and had misunderstood the relationship between Han Yanyan and Zheng Yao.


    But Zheng Yao immediately decided to use this misunderstanding to confuse Cao¡¯s family with Han Yanyan as a smoke bomb, so secretary He¡¯s task was to convince Han Yanyan to accept the gift anyway.


    From the moment Han Yanyan opened his eyes in this world, every sentence and every action of every major NPC was expected. The information in her head made her knew everything that would happen next because it was just foreplay.


    Foreplay, nothing more.


    The real drama actually started when she and Zheng Yao were face to face. When she really was face to face with him, she can no longer predict the future development, and everything depends on herself.


    But when Han Yanyan first arrived in this world, the little tension and doubts in her heart were almost gone. The romantic and essay-like developments that flowed along like clouds and flowing water had eased her vigilance and eliminated tension.


    The electronic sound said this was her specialty, which was right.


    She didn¡¯t even have much curiosity about the mission Zheng Yao when she first came.


    Just a domineering president, she had written too much.


    This kind of overbearing president, all love for Cinderella, and give all his property to the Cinderella? Han Yanyan thought lazily about it.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3 World Zero: All Routines (3)


    Next, like walking through the motion, Miss Cao finally started to deal with Han Yanyan like the silly female supporting role in the ancient Mary Su. Han Yanyan was still sighing when she was abducted into the van and blindfolded on her way home, ¡°this is a definitely old-fashioned routine of ancient Mary Su.¡±


    When Han was being held in an abandoned warehouse, she had some hardships, mainly because Miss Cao abused her, slapped her and stomped her feet. She felt painful, but fortunately, there was no plot the vicious female partner found someone to rape or treat the female role or finally gets raped. Han Yanyan was very gratified.


    In the past, when she was a gunman, she insisted on not writing such a plot, no matter how stupid the female supporting role was, she won¡¯t write this kind of plot. The editor also blamed her for this, and suspected that she did not write enough melodramatic plot. Even so, she insisted not to write, which was too low.


    Although she felt a little painful on her face, Han Yanyan regained her spirits now, because, from the prediction of everyone¡¯s behavior, she could see that she would soon see the dominating figure of this world.


    Ms. Cao took her as a threat, and asked Zheng Yao to come out to meet, and then forced him to marry her. If there were no accidents, she would be beaten down by his subordinates who suddenly appeared, sent to prison, and then the Cao Group was completely taken down by Zheng Yao.


    In this incident, Han Yanyan was innocently involved because of being used as a smoke bomb by Zheng Yao, and finally met him.


    Here, all the background information was complete. Next, there was no longer behavior prediction, and the behavior of the target person cannot be speculated, and it may change at any time. From here on, it will all depend on Han Yanyan herself.


    ¡°Bang!¡± Miss Cao slapped Han Yanyan who tied to the chair and tilted her head, scolding, ¡°He hasn¡¯t come yet, it seems he doesn¡¯t like you so much!¡±


    Han Yanyan spit out the blood in her mouth, looked at her through the messy long hair blocking her face, and suddenly felt sympathy for her.


    She was originally a very beautiful lady with thousands of dollars. At this time, her face was distorted, so ugly that couldn¡¯t be seen. She had a wealthy background and was highly educated. In the normal world, she was a lady from a decent family, a winner. But in this god-fuck ¡°quick-transmigration world¡±, she could only end up with a vicious female supporting role.


    Who decided this fate, this life track for her?


    What a jerk!


    The huge noise caused by the fierce friction between the tire and the ground quickly approached from the distance. The door of the warehouse was open, and the dazzling luxury car rushed in. A drift stopped suddenly and stopped twenty meters away. The door opened, long and powerful legs extended, and shiny shoes stepped on the concrete floor¡­


    Han Yanyan has been calm since entering this world. At this time, she finally got a little curious and wondered what this man she was going to took down looks like.


    But she couldn¡¯t see it! Miss Cao¡¯s thugs surrounded the two of them. Miss Cao herself was standing in front of Han Yanyan. Although she was slender, she was just right to block the man!


    In fact, if Han Yanyan stretched her neck to the side, she could see the person she wanted to see. But she suppressed the curiosity in her heart and didn¡¯t do it.


    She was slapped by Miss Cao, and her cheeks were swollen and bruised. This face was not the unrivaled beauty she wanted. It could only be said that she was pretty. She hung her head quietly, showed the beauty of tender, but if she stretched her neck to look, the tender beauty was gone!


    This was her first meeting with her target object! She could only try to keep her beauty, tenderness, and pity in the existing conditions, just forgot to peek.


    The door closed with a bang voice, and it was echoed in the empty old warehouse.


    The man took two steps forward and stood still. He didn¡¯t need to speak; the powerful aura was intimidating. Han Yanyan felt the silent and invisible pressure from this man behind Miss Cao. She could not help holding her breath slightly.


    ¡°Zheng Yao! You¡¯re finally willing to come!¡± Miss Cao¡¯s voice was sharp, but she finally brought a trace of crying. The Zheng Family and the Cao family were originally business marriages, Zheng Yao was playing along, but Miss Cao was deeply in love with him.


    Han Yanyan heard Zheng Yao¡¯s slight silence, and finally spoke, ¡°What do you want?¡± There was no nervousness, anxiety, but calmness in the voice, as if he was sitting in a conference room and controlling the audience.


    Miss Cao acted like the information predicted in Han Yanyan ¡¯s brain, and like all stupid female supporting roles, she asked Zheng Yao, ¡°I want you to marry me! Otherwise, I will kill the one you love!¡±


    Without Han Yanyan¡¯s participation, Zheng Yao was had fun by released all kinds of fake news to confuse Miss Cao, and made Miss Cao mistakenly believe that Zheng Yao was in love with Han Yanyan.


    Even though Han called Miss Cao NPC, it was Han Yanyan¡¯s secret tease. Miss Cao was actually a living person, like the bodyguards around her, colleagues in the office, etc. They were all living people. It was just that the information Han Yanyan has obtained from the electronic voice has already included what these people would do and say. As long as Han Yanyan does not deliberately make unexpected problems, things will develop step by step. As if the previously on before a game.


    That¡¯s why Han Yanyan secretly said that these people are NPCs.


    All of this, only Han Yanyan herself and Zheng Yao were different.


    Han Yanyan himself needn¡¯t say anything, Zheng Yao¡­ The only thing that electronic voice can give Han Yanyao was background information, such as origin, education, relatives and friends, connections, assets and so on. Regarding Zheng Yao himself, Han Yanyan¡¯s information was poor.


    For the next development, she had only a rough outline, knowing that Miss Cao and the Cao family had a miserable ending. But Han Yanyan actually didn¡¯t know what Zheng Yao would say, what to do, and what reaction to give in this scene of standard romance.


    If he was the president with the love brain, and really loves Han Yanyan, he will probably warn Miss Cao not do anything with Han Yanyan, otherwise, he will never let her go.


    But Han Yanyan and his co-star play haven¡¯t started yet. According to the current situation, he was more like a dangerous president.


    Han Yanyan bowed her head slightly and made a weak gesture. In fact, her ears were pricked up, and she wanted to hear what the target object would say.


    However, what was heard was silence.


    During this silence, Miss Cao¡¯s breathing sound was particularly clear and thick, and she must be very nervous in her heart.


    The man was silent for a long time before slowly saying, ¡°You threatened me with my lover¡¯s life, in order to marry me?¡±


    ¡°Yes! If you don¡¯t promise me, I¡¯ll kill her!¡± Miss Cao shouted exhaustedly.


    It was silent again.


    Han Yanyan couldn¡¯t see him but could feel the man¡¯s gaze at Miss Cao. Miss Cao¡¯s back could not help but tense up, and passed the pressure of sight to Han Yanyan.


    The man was silent for a long time and suddenly asked, ¡°Do you know what a business marriage is?¡±


    Miss Cao shouted, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    A man called ¡°Zheng Yao¡± slowly said, ¡°A business marriage is a pair of men and women who can represent two families make the integration of funds and technology in the form of marriage, which is a connection of interpersonal connection and resources, a union between strangers. ¡°


    His voice was not high, but his penetration was strong. What he said was normal and logical. In this heck of the ¡°quick-transmigration world,¡± this normal gave Han Yanyan a feeling that ¡°everyone is drunk but he wakes up alone.¡±


    ¡°This is marriage, not¡­ enemies.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Han Yanyan heard the man said so. She couldn¡¯t help feeling that this world¡­ there were still normal people!


    But Zheng Yao was silent after speaking.


    He didn¡¯t remain silent for a long time, because Miss Cao screamed indifferently, ¡°I don¡¯t care what you say, I just want to marry you!¡± She was so close to Han Yanyan that nearly broken Han Yanyan¡¯s eardrum.


    In this scream, Han Yanyan heard Zheng Zheng¡¯s voice clearly. The man murmured as if talking to himself, his voice was very low, but somehow, he could penetrate Miss Cao¡¯s sharp screams, reaching directly to Han Yanyan¡¯s eardrum.


    He said gently, ¡°¡­ what the hell.¡±


    Han Yanyan suddenly had a terrible foreboding.


    Sudden changes occurred at the moment when a man¡¯s voice came!


    The concrete-screed floor was smashed under the man¡¯s shiny leather shoes and turned into powder. What was exposed under the cement was no foundation or soil, but nothingness! A storm rose suddenly around the man, whirling and spreading. Wherever he went, everything turned into powder.


    ¡°What, what is this ?!¡± Miss Cao stepped back in fear, screaming, stepping on Han Yanyan¡¯s foot.


    The thin heels of the high heels was stepped on, causing Han Yanyan to shed tears. Under the pain, she could not care if she was weak. Although she was tied to a chair, her upper body could still move slightly. She shoved her head to the top, and Miss Cao waled a few steps, dropped on the ground.


    Suddenly the whirlwind came within sight.


    Miss Cao¡¯s fingers were pulverized first: she felled forward; her arms stretched out, and her fingertips first touched the storm.


    Han Yanyan watched Miss Cao pulverized from her fingertips to her arms to her head, shoulders, and back¡­ in the screaming, she turned into a powder and blended into the storm.


    The bodyguards and thugs shouted in panic, and one of them even pulled out a handgun to shoot Zheng Yao, the gunfire failed to wake up Han Yanyan from shock until the storm spread to her eyes in just a few seconds!


    She was tied to a chair, her wrists and ankles were tied, and the most prominent part of her body was the knee.


    In Han Yanyan¡¯s eyes, she seemed to be watching a slow-moving special effects movie, watching her knees become sandy, and those powders were immediately involved in the storm and became part of it. She didn¡¯t bleed or feel pain, and her legs, which turned into powder, had just lost her sensation, as if she had never owned this part of the body.


    As the storm spread, Han Yanyan lost her legs. One second before the storm was about to reach the tip of her nose, she finally woke up from shock and looked at the man in the center of the storm.


    The man had no floor under his feet and no roof over his head. Those material things have collapsed and disappeared. He put his hands in his trouser pockets and stood in nothingness like that, staring at everything in front of him indifferently.


    He was still there.


    The world has collapsed.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4 World One: the Stronger in the End-time World (1)


    The world collapsed too quickly, and the moment when the storm that destroyed everything came, Han Yanyan had no time to see the man¡¯s face clearly. She only remembered his eyes.


    He looked at everything that collapsed, with his sight not falling on Han Yanyan. To him, the miserable Han Yanyan was no different from Miss Cao who has been turned into powder and the bodyguard thug who was screaming and running away, even a powdered wall tile or a glass bottle on the ground cannot be indistinguishable from her.


    In his eyes, there was only indifference to this world.


    As if he did not belong here.


    Zheng Yao¡¯s indifference frightened Han Yanyan. Immediately, the storm hitting her face, she turned into power.


    Opening her eyes suddenly, there was pure white space around her. Han Yanyan¡¯s legs softened, and she threw herself on the ground, panting heavily. It¡¯s completely different to experiencing being destroyed in person and watching special effects movies. Her heart was still beating hard, which made her feel ill.


    The electronic sound burst like thunder, ¡°It¡¯s less than ten minutes! Less than ten minutes!¡±


    Han Yanyan panted, thinking for ten minutes.


    ¡°My worst builder is more than ten minutes! You make me so disappointed!¡±


    The electronic sound seemed very angry at this ¡°ten minutes¡±, ¡°You obviously have so much potential! Why did you play so poor! Didn¡¯t you say that you are the best at this routine! Why the best was still missing! ¡°


    Han Yanyan¡¯s heart was still uncomfortable, but her calm head still captured the information from the electronic voice.


    She supported the floor and raised her head, ¡°When did I say this to you?¡± With black eyes, she was gazing at the white space in front of them.


    The electronic sound suddenly stunned, paused for a second, and said with a little annoying, ¡°Mark her!¡±


    It was ¡°marked¡± again. But before Han Yanyan had time to think about the meaning of the words he heard the electronic sound as if he had suddenly lost all his humanity and emotions, and said coldly and mechanically, ¡°Mark.¡±


    Han Yanyan frozen for a moment, bowed her head and saw herself standing in pure white space. She clearly remembered that she was kneeling on the ground and panting heavily because of the impact before. Reaching out and touching her heart, she felt her heartbeat smoothly and slowly, and no longer felt the kind of horror and discomfort.


    There was also a feeling of blankness in her mind, and it disappeared after a few seconds. It felt like just waking up, not knowing where she was.


    Who am I? Where am I? What do I do? (Han Yanyan¡¯s soliloquy)


    ¡°Remember, I¡¯ll give you another chance! If you fail this time, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not a philanthropist. I will give back to your body, and you will save by yourself.¡± The electronic voice said coldly.


    Although the tone was cold and intimidating, it was full of emotion and more like a living person than the mechanical ¡°mark¡± just now. What exactly was it? artificial intelligence? Or the person hiding behind the microphone?


    ¡°Well, be more serious this time, don¡¯t fool me anymore. Fooling me means suicide, figure it out!¡± The electronic sound said indignantly, ¡°bring into full play your ability! This time you must let that¡­ hey, let the target object of this world fall in love with you! Go! ¡°


    With the word ¡°go¡±, the light suddenly disappeared. Because it is the second time, Han Yanyan was used to it now. She closed her eyes and woke up in an alley. There were ordinary buildings on both sides, but she doesn¡¯t know why there was a sense of dilapidation.


    As she looks around, Han Yanyan¡¯s pre-delivery information for this world was activated, and she realized the origin of that sense of ruin was because this was an end-time world.


    Han Yanyan retrieved her own background in this world from the information in her head, and the result was quite speechless. Han Yanyan in this world has so little information that can be summarized in almost a word: alone.


    For Han Yanyan from the last world, at least there was information about her origin, school, and even house rent. However, Han Yanyan in this world was equivalent to nothing.


    Han Yanyan could not help frowning slightly, but after a moment, she softens her brow.


    This was the same as having no character set, and there was no harm in it. In the previous world, she had to let her follow the behavior pattern of ¡°Han Yanyan¡±. In this world, she did not have such a burden. Since there was no person who can restrain her, it means that she can play at will.


    As soon as Han Yanyan figured it out, she felt relaxed. She became familiar with the abilities of this ¡°Han Yanyan¡± and took a step forward.


    Out of the alley and onto the street, this place, which was original as a movie background, suddenly came alive. It was dark and the street lights were on. In this end-time world, the city can still have street lights, which showed that it was very stable here and has a normal life and production.


    Han Yanyan already knew that this city was Nanling in country S. This was a city with a long history and was the ancient capital of the Four Dynasties. After the last days, the surviving ancient city wall became a settlement for survivors.


    It can generate electricity and have a small amount of agricultural planting, although they were small workshop-style, which made that the industry that met the basic survival needs was still running. Under the balance of all forces, the basic social structure was maintained here. But in the last days, the meager resources were not enough to support the survival needs of all survivors, and the people who survived were both hard and painful.


    Except for those who are strong.


    Out of the alley was a street. There were actually many people in the dark street.


    Most of them came here to trade. On the rag was a glittering diamond bracelet. In the past, it was expensive jewelry. Now, it can change half of a bag of instant noodles at best, if you were lucky to meet rich people with beauty. On the contrary, there are many people bargaining for weapons such as kitchen knives and watermelon knives. The price of a good kitchen knife soared by several people, and it had already reached the high price of half a box of instant noodles.


    People lived hard, diamond and gold became useless, food became currency.


    Han Yanyan saw some women lingering on the street under the dim light, and most of them looked good. Some men liked one of them and bargained over there. They can take a woman to their home with just a half of a steamed bun or a half of a packet of biscuits. There were also those who are not particular about it, which they go directly behind the tree in the dark. After a while, the woman took up half a packet of biscuits from the man while tidying her skirt, quickly shoved it into her collar, and ran away, covering her chest.


    Han Yanyan looked at these women, not knowing that others were watching her.


    Under the dim yellow light, the girl in the white cotton skirt appeared on the street. Her eyes were clear, her long black hair draped softly behind her shoulders. She was rare and clean in the last days. It could have a beautiful girl who can still have this state in the last days, either because she was powerful or because she had a powerful man behind her. Those people watching in secret did not dare to act rashly.


    But everyone waited for a while and found that the girl wandered alone on the street with a look of confusion. That kind of look was a very standard rookie who didn¡¯t know anything or know anything. Thinking of the recent arrival of a group of survivors, everyone suspected that the girl might have just arrived in the city.


    People watched for a while and found that she was indeed alone. She didn¡¯t look like an strong man. In the end-time world, women¡¯s survival was difficult, and those powerful women would show their strength to reduce unnecessary trouble.


    The girl looked fragrant and soft and coveted. Such a girl, if there was someone behind, men usually do not easily let her go out alone.


    In this world, it was common that pretty women disappeared in a second.


    Finally, someone couldn¡¯t hold back and tempt over there.


    ¡°Hey, you, it¡¯s you, what¡¯s the price?¡± The man stepped forward and asked with a smile.


    The girl in a white dress turned to look at him. With the black-and-white eyes, the white face, she did not have the exhaustion and sorrow that women often have in the end-time world, nor the fear and confusion. Seen too much women¡¯s withering lifelessness and stupidity like being stung by bees, such a lively girl was too delicious and attractive for them.


    The man felt that saliva was secreted in the mouth, and the blood in the body flowed downwards. He swallowed and quoted, ¡°Two steamed buns?¡±


    This price was pretty good. He usually gives half a bag of instant noodles. He wouldn¡¯t have given such a high price if she was so clean and beautiful.


    Han Yanyan shook her head, ¡°No.¡± After speaking, she turned around and wanted to leave.


    Alas, quite lofty.


    There were many such proud women in the first few years, but they gradually disappeared. If those innocent women did not have extraordinary abilities, the last innocence would not last long. And such women are quite rare now.


    It made people more interested.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡± The man took two steps forward, blocked Han Yanyan¡¯s way, and said with a smile, ¡°Too little? I can add you a bag of instant noodles.¡±


    Han Yanyan¡¯s expression cooled down, ¡°Let me go.¡±


    The man grinning cheekily, ¡°No,¡± he said, still reaching out to pull Han Yanyan.


    Han Yanyan shook off his hand, and then a clear stream of water emerged, winding around her arm, washing the place touched by the man¡¯s hand, and disappeared in the air.


    ¡°Oh, the water ability?¡± The man laughed. No wonder not to sell, it turned out to be a remarkable talent.


    But the water ability is generally recognized as a weak ability, which has almost no attack power. Although it was also an extraordinary ability, it was usually only responsible for logistics or miscellaneous work in the team, so that they can use water conveniently. That man was not afraid at all. He glanced around, even more unscrupulous when he didn¡¯t see anyone like the girl¡¯s companion.


    ¡°It¡¯s in time, I¡¯m a fire remarkable talent, and we can make a couple properly. Hey, are you new here? Is there a place to live? Otherwise, you can go with me, I live in a big house ¡­¡±


    As the man said, he stretched out his paw. At this moment he consciously found out the situation of Han Yanyan, without any scruples, grabbed Han Yanyan¡¯s arm as soon as he can.


    The man¡¯s hand power was very strong, and he held on to her hand. Although there was a smile on his face, the excitement of catching the prey was revealed in his eyes.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s complexion changed slightly and she used her second extraordinary ability. The man¡¯s forearm was suddenly covered with ice. Suddenly the man got iced, and he released his hand. Han Yanyan took the opportunity to kick his crotch, while the man screamed, she turned and ran.


    Unfortunately, Han Yanyan was alone, but this man was not. When the man forced accosting, his companions watched him nearby. Incidents suddenly occurred, and those companions surrounded them. Four men surrounded and blocked Han Yanyan¡¯s way.


    Han Yanyan clenched her fists and stared at the four men who were approaching, thinking about countermeasures.


    She had two kinds of powers, water, and ice. They were just used for the first time and she was not very skilled. It was clear that there was still much power in her body, but she can clearly feel that the using just now was very ¡°hard¡±. She felt that her power would not be of much use in actual combat.


    The situation in front of her can be said to be dangerous. She was a young and beautiful girl, and there is nothing good to end in the hands of these men. She came to this world to approach the target object, and she couldn¡¯t be crushed before she saw the mission goal!

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5 World One: the Stronger in the End-time World (2)


    Han Yanyan was actually a bit strange about it. In the last world, all other people¡¯s behavior patterns were almost predictable before she met Zheng Yao. She was equivalent to opening the deva eye. As long as she didn¡¯t act recklessly, things would develop steadily.


    But now, the pre-information in her head didn¡¯t allow her to predict what would happen next. Is there any bug in the electronic voice?


    Han Yanyan felt a little anxious in her heart, she secretly recharged, and stared vigilantly at the men who were approaching the encirclement. She would use the ice ability to attack whoever prepared to take the first shot. As for how strong this power was and whether she could stop their behavior, she had no idea at all.


    A large fireball suddenly shot over, and the white skirt burned. Han Yanyan¡¯s response quickly, and immediately she used her water power that was not very skilled to put out the fire. But the second fireball had arrived, Han Yanyan¡¯s pupils shrank, her slender waist swung dexterously, and escaped the fireball narrowly.


    She turned to look at the man who had been kicked crotch by her. He already stood up again, covering his crotch with one hand and waving another hand, and a fireball shot at Han Yanyan.


    The man¡¯s eyes were with fierce, and his mouth cursed, ¡°Bitch! I give you honor but you don¡¯t want it! I kill you!¡±


    Compared with Han Yanyan¡¯s operations, this man was obviously much more skilled in manipulating his fire talent. He shook a fireball from his hand.


    This time Han Yanyan couldn¡¯t avoid it, and her skirt caught fire again. Although the fireball was immediately destroyed by her water, but a hole was burned out, and the slim and tight thighs were faintly visible.


    The other men did not encircle anymore, but stepped back with a smile, leaving room for the man to play cat and mouse games.


    Han Yanyan avoided two or three fireballs, her skirt was inevitably burnt, and a pair of beautiful legs could not be hidden. The men whistled and yelled, ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t burn her!¡± She had fair and delicate skin, and it was a pity if she burned anywhere.


    Han Yanyan swooped wildly, avoiding a fireball, she rolled twice on the ground to the stall where the knives were sold.


    The face of a middle-aged man who was selling knives changed slightly as she held up her body. Han Yanyan looked at him, her black eyes were like two ponds of water. The middle-aged man¡¯s lips were slightly moving, but in the end, he said nothing.


    The fire-skilled man¡¯s power control was very precise. Just now his fireball burned the fabric on one side of Han Yanyan¡¯s shoulders. Han Yanyan stood up and had to hold her chest with both hands to prevent light.


    The middle-aged man selling knives quickly picked up the four corners of the rag, wrapped his things together, quietly retreated and disappeared.


    The fire-skilled man played a fireball in his hand and yelled, ¡°Aren¡¯t you powerful? Why don¡¯t you run away anymore?¡±


    Han Yanyan said nothing, stood up and hugged her chest and rushed in a certain direction. A man was approaching that direction and stretched his arms out to block Han Yanyan. He laughed at me, ¡°Ah, hey, are you really running?¡±


    The man hadn¡¯t finished speaking, but something flashed suddenly in front of his eyes. He scared and leaned back instinctively. Han Yanyan used the fruit knife hinding in her hand to cut the man from his chest to his ribs. A string of blood beads flew into the air. The man yelled and fell back a few steps.


    Han Yanyan took the opportunity to break through the encirclement.


    She still had a knife in her hand, and the crowd on the street receded. She rushed straight towards the street.


    Another companion of the fire-skilled man cursed, holding his hands together, and a basketball-sized white electric ball with a stabbing noise appeared in the middle of his hands. He pushed hard, and the electric light ball shot at the running Han Yanyan swiftly.


    The people on the sidelines exclaimed, and then the exclamation stopped abruptly as if their necks were suddenly pinched!


    Han Yanyan heard the exclamation and knew that there was danger behind her. She looked back instinctively, and her breath suddenly stopped!


    The purple thunder and lightning were intertwined into a electrified wire netting, blocking the white electric ball behind her!


    The purple power electrified wire netting was less than half an arm away from her, crackling loudly, so powerful that she couldn¡¯t breathe. Han Yanyan took a big step back subconsciously. The white electric ball collided with the purple power electrified wire netting and exploded! The people who seemed to be pinched their necks just exclaimed again.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s arm covered her head and face. When the shock wave of the explosion dispersed, she lowered her arm and opened her eyes. The white electric ball disappeared, but the purple power grid didn¡¯t disappear after a few seconds.


    Regardless of the fire-skilled man and his companions, or the people watching on the street, none of them see Han Yanyan at this time, they all looked in the same direction.


    Han Yanyan followed their sight and looked in that direction.


    On the other side of the road, a man stood under a street lamp, put his hands in his pockets, and looked indifferently at this side. Under the light, his face was blurred. Without saying a word, the aura had overwhelmed everyone.


    Being daunting.


    Around him, several men surrounded, such as the stars and the moon. Compared to the look of awe and horror on the faces of the onlookers, these men all looked relaxed, as if they had just watched a funny show.


    Han Yanyan finally understood why the pre-feeding information was so small this time, and why the behavior patterns of these people she encountered were unpredictable.


    She knew who he was when she saw him at first glance.


    It turned out that Ding Yao¨Cthe man she wanted to take down, the biggest variable in the world, was here from the beginning!


    Compared with the long and routine background of the previous world, this world has no foreplay at all. When she stepped out of the alley and stepped on this street, she went straight to the show!


    Although she didn¡¯t know why the previous world failed and caused the world to collapse, Han Yanyan has left a shadow in her heart. This time, just ten minutes into the world, she had to face the host, Han Yanyan couldn¡¯t help but take a deep breath, trying to relieve her heartbeat rate that was too fast.


    ¡°Ding, Boss Ding!¡± The fire-skilled man ran across the road with sweat. His important organ were kicked by Han Yanyan, so his running posture was a bit weird. When he approached, he didn¡¯t dare to get too close. He bowed and scraped before a few meters, ¡°This woman has collected money and does not work. We are going to give her a lesson¡­ ¡°


    With a slam, the man ignored him, lighted the lighter, and lit a cigarette. Under the faint light, Han Yanyan saw a face with deep facial features and tough lines.


    There were so many people on the street, and the night market was noisy before. However, at this moment, the man lowered his head and lit a cigarette, and only breath could be heard in this street.


    The fire-skilled man was sweating on the forehead.


    In Nanling City, there were more than 20 thunder talents. His companions were already good players, but their electric ball formed was only white and slightly cyan. Since the outbreak of the zombie virus, he had only seen one person who had the purple thunderbolt, the head of the Thunder team, Ding Yao in front of him.


    In the beginning, the team was nothing more than a group of survivors in the end-time world who were close to each other and interdependent. In the early days of the end-time world, the zombie virus first broke out, and people began to show various abilities. At first, they were weak, and then they gradually became stronger. In this process, many weaker were eliminated ruthlessly, becoming flesh and blood in the mouth of the zombies. Gradually, the stronger moved closer to the stronger, and a team with powerful combat power appeared.


    People did not know who called the word ¡°team¡± first, but slowly everyone called it like that. Those groups gathered by the strong have named their team one by one, and gradually they had distinctions between the stronger and the weaker. In Nanling City, there were hundreds of teams, large and small. After all, three people could call themselves a team. But among these big and small teams, the most powerful was Ding Yao¡¯s Thunder team.


    The reason why Ding Yao was called the ¡°captain¡± rather than the ¡°team leader¡± was because the Thunder, was not only being the strongest, but also the largest team with hundreds of people and all strong players. Ding Yao and his brothers can definitely dominate Nanling if they want. After all, there was no law in this world, and people can not only kill zombies but also kill people.


    It was only a few seconds to light a cigarette, but it was as difficult as a few hours for the fire-skilled man. When the light was turned on to the time when it was closed, his mind turned quickly.


    Ding Yao helped her just now. Why did Ding Yao do this? Did Ding Yao know this woman? Was this woman Ding Yao¡¯s woman?


    Because he doesn¡¯t know exactly, he felt uncomfortable in his heart, like a sword hanging from his head. The man turned pale.


    Fortunately, the cigarette was finally finished. Ding Yao closed the lighter and drew it into his pants pocket, exhaled a white cigarette, raised his eyes and glanced at Han Yanyan.


    ¡°Pretty girl,¡± he said.


    The fire-slled man was greatly relieved. He smiled, ¡°Looking like a newcomer, she has water and ice ability, but weak, very useless. It¡¯s good luck for her to meet you.


    Ding Yao bit the cigarette and glanced at him.


    The man in the fire department bowed and scraped, he said, ¡°let her follow you then, that, we, that¡­¡±


    Ding Yao stopped looking at him and said ¡°um¡± from his nasal cavity.


    The fire-skilled man was pardoned, and his companions helped the injured one and left in a hurry. After leaving this street, he stopped and wiped his cold sweats, ¡°I was scared to death, and I thought I accidentally touched Ding Yao¡¯s woman.¡±


    Fortunately, she isn¡¯t Ding Yao¡¯s woman.


    Han Yanyan watched the fire-skilled man leave, and then heard Ding Yao say to her: ¡°¡­ come over.¡±


    His voice was low and attractive, and his speed of speech was neither too fast nor too slow, but the meaning of the commands in the words could not be disobeyed. People on the street avoided the men subtly, pretending to be as natural as possible, and did not dare to watch Ding Yao¡¯s business.


    No one was able to help Han Yanyan just now, and now there was also no one.


    Han Yanyan walked over holding a fruit knife. Although she was protecting her chest with her arms, her skirt was burnt most part, and a pair of long and beautiful legs appeared under her dress. The men¡¯s sights fell on those tight and seductive legs.


    Same as Ding Yao.


    ¡°Boss, this girl is beautiful. Take her back.¡± A round-faced man behind him said with a smile. As he said, he looked around Han Yanyan¡¯s thighs and waist, with an obvious desire.


    Han Yanyan said nothing, staring at Ding Yao silently, but her hand holding the fruit knife was tight.


    The night was dark, there was a terrifying light in Ding Yao¡¯s eyes. He looked at her body from bottom to top, spit out white smoke, and said, ¡°Come with us, three meals a day and have no more than five brothers a day.¡±

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6 World One: the Stronger in the End-time World (3)


    Three meals and having five man to sleep with a day.


    It might be a good deal here? Before the end of the world, it was equivalent to a monthly salary of 20,000 to 30,000, not only gave five insurance and one payment, but also gave you commercial medical insurance?


    Han Yanyan was not surprised at all. Before she was inexplicably involved in a car accident and came to this odd quick-transmigration world, she was already constructing an eschatology essay. The world she conceived was similar to the one before her.


    It can even be said to be very similar.


    But Han Yanyan certainly did not intend to live by sleeping with men. This time she has fewer restrictions and more freedom. Just now, she has already set a character for herself and has figured out the way to go next.


    Only after Ding Yao¡¯s words, she took a step back with a fruit knife, and watched a group of men in front of her vigilantly, ¡°I don¡¯t do this.¡±


    The round-faced man behind Ding Yao sneered and asked, ¡°What are you going to do? What are you going to live?¡±


    Han Yanyan moved her lips and said, ¡°I can pick up the waste and join the search team¡­¡±


    The round-faced man sneered. A sound came from the nasal cavity with a clear disdain, ¡°Just you? With those small arms and legs, you will be killed by the living people before you encountered zombies.¡±


    Han Yanyan bit her lip and stubbornly looked up, ¡°I won¡¯t do it.¡±


    Ding Yao held the cigarette between his two fingers and asked, ¡°With abilities of water and ice?¡±


    Han Yanyan nodded.


    Ding Yao said, ¡°Show me.¡±


    Han Yanyan understood, and handed the fruit knife to her left hand, freeing up her right hand. After she put forth her strength, and an ice ball appeared in her palm, larger than an apple and smaller than a pineapple.


    ¡°If there has water, it will be easier.¡± Han Yanyan whispered. But she couldn¡¯t condense the water first, and then frozen, because the condensed water was also very laborious. In just a few seconds, she could only show Ding Yao one talent. The water power was more useless than the ice power.


    Han Yanyan was not so weak. She could feel that there was still a lot of power in her body. But she had just learned how to use abilities in the past ten minutes, and she was very unskilled, so it was extremely difficult for her to use it. In others¡¯ eyes, she was weak.


    The little ice ball made the men laugh. The round-faced man laughed incredibly who was not polite.


    Thunder team gathered, in which no weak people surrounded Ding Yao. A man with a mustache laughed and fell, and snapped his fingers. A slender ice cone like a pen condensed in front of him, and instantly passed around several people¡¯s bodies and shot Han Yanyan¡¯s palm from the gap between people and Han Yanyan


    Han Yanyan¡¯s ice ball was smashed by the ice cone. Her palm was injured and bleeding. Snow-white palms were blackish red, like red plums in the snow.


    ¡°Zhang, fuck you!¡± Round-faced man scolded him first, turned his neck and shouted.


    Zhang said aloud, ¡°Sorry, I slipped my hands. Lijun, give her some treatment.¡±


    A bearded man came forward with a smile and put his hand on Han Yanyan¡¯s hand. Han Yanyan frowned but did not retract her hand. The wound that was still painful in the palm was fevering and itching for a few seconds. The bearded man was removed, and Han Yanyan¡¯s palm was still stained with blood, but the wound had disappeared.


    What a powerful healing talent.


    Han Yanyan used her eyes and expression to show ¡°shock¡± promptly. This look appeared on the beauty¡¯s face like hers made the men smile and satisfy.


    The little ice ball just now was so funny. Ding Yao¡¯s mouth was full of smiles. He exhaled some smoke and asked, ¡°How did you survive?¡±


    Han Yanyan lowered her eyelids, ¡°I used to have a companion¡­¡± then, her eyes turned red.


    Han Yanyan had a skill that was not really a skill. It was often very easy for her to truly put herself into the plot or role she had conceived. For example, if she was writing a plot of emotional abuse, she may already cry herself to tears before she writing down. She quickly turned her eyes red and burst into tears.


    An indistinct sentence gave men plenty of imagination. The men all showed the expression of ¡°it really was so¡±. She didn¡¯t know what each person made up for, but in all likelihood, they cannot get rid of the outline of ¡°relying on man¡¯s protection all the way, and now the man was dead and alone.¡±


    Ding Yao flipped the soot, and increased the price, ¡°Three meals, four brothers a day, medicine when you are sick.¡± After a pause, added: ¡°it¡¯s on you count if they give you anything.¡±


    Han Yanyan was silent for a few seconds and looked up at him, ¡°Thank you for saving me. I¡­¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t follow me. As soon as I leave, you will be dragged away. They will rape you by turns that you can¡¯t get out of bed the next day, Do you believe it or not?¡± Ding Yao interrupted her lightly.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s face turned pale.


    She had fair skin, and Ding Yao saw it across the road just now.


    The girl appeared abruptly, and her temperament was incompatible with her surroundings. The men, who had been trained by the world to pay attention to their bodies all the time and were alert like dogs, noticed her as soon as she appeared.


    At that moment, she was close to him. Although the light of the streetlamp was dim, her skin looked soft and smooth, and there were almost no flaws. Her neck was slender, the shoulders were thin, and the clavicle was a delicate bulge. With a mess dress, her girlish body was seductive everywhere. The temperament in the eyebrows had no air of being destroyed in the world.


    Ding Yao looked at her for a few seconds, took a cigarette and changed her mind.


    ¡°My search team here also recruits people,¡± he said.


    Han Yanyan looked up suddenly, her calm face was still tense, but the surprise in her eyes could not be hidden. ¡°I, I want to join the search team.¡± She said eagerly, ¡°I am very good at finding things. I can do other jobs. I can make water for you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ding Yao threw away his cigarette butt, stepped it to put out, and raised his chin, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    He finished, paused, raised his hand, and threw a T-shirt on Han Yanyan, ¡°Put on.¡±


    Han Yanyan¡¯s skirt was burnt into a rug, her shoulder also was showed up. She covered her chest with her hands to avoid exposure. This T-shirt was big and fat, like hip-hop, but rightly covered her.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s startled eyed appeared promptly on this out-of-nowhere clothes, although she knew from the pre-information that Ding Yao had the dual talent of thunder and space. Han Yanyan had dual talent as well, but she was so weak while Ding Yao was incredibly strong.


    Han Yanyan threw the fruit knife to the ground first and put the fat T-shirt over her head. Her arm loosened from her chest, and something waggled in front of Ding Yao¡¯s eyes and were then covered by the T-shirt immediately. The T-shirt was so fat that she was covered from the thighs to the knees and could even be worn as a skirt. Even if there was one inside and made it bulged, it was better than being seen.


    Han Yanyan put on his clothes and bent down to pick up the fruit knife, waiting for Ding Yao to speak.


    Ding Yao asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Han Yanyan replied, ¡°Han Yanyan.¡±


    Ding Yao nodded and turned. Han Yanyan followed him.


    The men who had been around Ding Yao all stepped back a step or two to make room for Han Yanyan. They also glanced at each other with ambiguous smiles.


    Only the round-faced man was a little disappointed. Zhang, who was also an ice talent, gave him a kick with a limp from the back, ¡°be sober! The boss wants her, don¡¯t you understand?¡±


    The round-faced whispered, ¡°He was going to give the woman to the brothers at first¡­¡±


    Zhang said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that what happened later? Why the boss doesn¡¯t want to give the woman to him now, do you have a different opinion?¡±


    The round-faced man had no other hobbies, excepted woman, watching Han Yanyan¡¯s two slippery calves in the night, sighing, ¡°How beautiful!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Zhang scolded, ¡°It has nothing to do with you no matter how beautiful she is!¡±


    The round-faced man understood. When Ding Yao¡¯s tone changed and talked about the search team, they all understood. Boss was fancy about this delicate little flower, he didn¡¯t plan to share it, he wanted to enjoy it alone.


    Ugh.


    Gas was precious in the world, and no one drives in Nanling. Han Yanyan followed Ding Yao all the way back.


    The base of the Thunder was a garden-style hotel. The area inside the ancient city wall of Nanling City was the ancient city and was a tourist area, controlled by the government. There were no particularly tall buildings. The three buildings of this hotel were staggered, and each of them had just five floors, which was enough to accommodate the entire team and also had free rooms.


    The hotel had a wrought-iron fence. After the Thunder team came in, they added barbed wire to the top of the fence, which was worked both for people and zombies.


    Ding Yao said nothing, and Han Yanyan followed him all the way. After following the lobby of the main building, Ding Yao stopped and glanced at her, turning his head and calling, ¡°Lijun, arrange for her.¡±


    The man called ¡°Lijun¡± was the bearded man with healing ability. He came over and said, ¡°Then I give her¡­ well, put her at the third floor?¡±


    Ding Yao said, ¡°You make a decision.¡± After that, he took the elevator and went upstairs.


    Once the elevator opened, Ding Yao and his men went up first. Han Yanyan and Lijun had to wait for the elevator to come down.


    On the third floor, Lijun took her to take the door of 317, ¡°Zhao Yuxuan, Zhao Yuxuan!¡±


    The door opened quickly, and a pretty girl called out a little unexpectedly, ¡°Brother Sun.¡± After looking at Han Yanyan, she asked, ¡°You look for me¡­?¡±


    Sun Lijun said, ¡°This is¡­ heh. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Han Yanyan said, ¡°Han Yanyan.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, this is Han Yanyan, who has just arrived. The other house has not been reorganized, and there is nothing. Let her sleep with you in this house for one night, and I will arrange for her tomorrow.¡±


    Zhao Yuxuan said, ¡°Oh, Come in.¡±


    ¡°You rest first,¡± Sun Lijun said, ¡°I¡¯ll get you something later.¡±


    Zhao Yuxuan looked at this clean and comely girl, dressed very neatly, Han Yanyan followed her into the room and was taken aback by the mess in the room.


    ¡°Please sit first.¡± Zhao Yuxuan leaned over and pushed away from the mess on the ground, and vacated the place for Han Yanyan.


    This was a standard room with two beds. One apparently belonged to Zhao Yuxuan, with bedding and pillows. The other had no one to sleep on, only a bare mattress and nothing else.


    In the end-time world, there was a shortage of supplies. Even the mattress in the hotel were considered supplies, and they had been taken away for unified management. However, the large and small cardboard boxes in the room, filled with various bottles and cans, with other messy things.


    Several cardboard boxes were piled up on the other bed.


    ¡°Well, you will know that everyone is like this after you have been here for a long time,¡± Zhao Yuxuan said as she moved the cardboard boxes to the ground, ¡°it is safe here. Once it¡¯s safe, I will want to store things. It doesn¡¯t matter if I need it, store it first. Having something is better than nothing. They are all supplies, and some can be exchanged for something else.¡±


    Gold and diamonds were not used anymore, now they were bartering, food was hard currency, and the more relevant with survival, the more popular the supplies were.


    Han Yanyan felt uncomfortable to set alone, so she helped her cleaned up together. They cleaned up the mess on the other bed, and Sun Lijun took a bunch of things and knocked at the door.


    ¡°This is the quilt, this is the clothes, this is the key to your room. You live in 315, just opposite to this room. Tomorrow, please take care of yourself. And these are all for you.¡± Sun Lijun gave Han Yanyan everything.


    Looking at things handed over one by one, Zhao Yuxuan was so surprised.


    The man who came with Sun Lijun as a laborer had been curious about Han Yanyan¡¯s face. Sun Lijun kicked him, ¡°Leave, leave.¡± He greeted Zhao Yuxuan, ¡°Come and tell you something.¡±


    Zhao Yuxuan followed.


    Han Yanyan didn¡¯t rush to make the bed. In the box that Sun Lijun gave to her, there was also a lunch box in it, which contained a steamed bun and a lump of baby-fist-sized cooked meat. It smelled tempting although it was cold. Han Yanyan realized that she was hungry, so she sat on the mattress and ate.


    Before she finished eating, Zhao Yuxuan returned and looked at Han Yanyan with a subtle look. She froze for a while, but couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°were you brought back by Boss Ding?¡±

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7 World One: the Stronger in the End-time World (4)


    ¡°Yes,¡± Han Yanyan said, ¡°he said the search team is recruiting.¡±


    Zhao Yuxuan was silent for a while and said, ¡°The people recruited by the search team were gathered at the City Gate in the day after tomorrow. The search team offered a meal and they went directly to the car. All the people lived in this base are in the team.¡±


    After Zhao said it, she paused for a while, and then said like looking for a supplement, ¡°Do you make a bed? I can help you.¡± Obviously, she heard something from Sun Lijun, which made her felt a little jealous and dreadful.


    Han Yanyan pretended not to notice the changes in her mood and attitude just now, and asked, ¡°Is there any water? I want to wash the lunch box.¡±


    Zhao Yuxuan said listlessly: ¡°No, the water has stopped.¡±


    There were originally six water plants in Nanling City, and now there was only one water plant that could work in the old town. It was common that the water supply and power supply cuts. ¡°Oh,¡± Han Yanyan said, and she condensed water to wash the lunch box.


    Zhao Yuxuan wasn¡¯t surprised, she just said, ¡°Are you a remarkable talent?¡±


    She looked for a while and realized that Han Yanyan¡¯s power was not very useful, saying, ¡°Qi Tongtong in 321 is also a remarkable talent, and she is also very weak.¡±


    Han Yanyan asked, ¡°What is she doing in the team?¡±


    Zhao Yuxuan moved her lips, ¡°What else can she do except accompanying a man to sleep. All the people on this floor live on this.¡±


    Han Yanyan was silent.


    Zhao Yuxuan didn¡¯t care that. She said with a little envy instead, ¡°I heard that Ding Yao fancied on you? You should serve him quickly and make him satisfied, then you will not worry about eating and drinking if you followed him. If you are capable enough to make him your only man, there will be really nothing to worry about. ¡°


    Han Yanyan said stubbornly, ¡°I¡¯m here to join the search team.¡±


    Zhao Yuxuan¡¯s expression cooled down, and she sneered as she looked at the unfurled bedding, the women¡¯s clothes in the box, and some odds and ends. These tattered things that they did not care before the end of the world were now all supplies and good things. Whoever the fuck will give it to a woman in the search team.


    Han Yanyan had a fake loftiness. She didn¡¯t think of to be a prostitute but enjoy the benefit, and even looked down on them, so Zhao Yuxuan disgusted her.


    Suddenly, Han Yanyan¡¯s eyes were red, and she bowed her head, ¡°My companion¡­ died before entering the city. He, he just died¡­¡± Then she choked.


    It explained the matter. Zhao Yuxuan¡¯s disgusted feelings suddenly disappeared. She sighed and said, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t be too sad. Just get used to it. However, living people must survive. Take things easy, don¡¯t keep thinking about the previous person. A man like Ding Yao cannot be encountered if you missed, just cherish the present and catch his heart as soon as possible.¡±


    She sat next to the bed, looking a little dazed, and finally said, ¡°¡­ everyone went through the same way.¡±


    One of her feet was on a cardboard box, which wasn¡¯t quite decent, but this beautiful girl didn¡¯t care about it. There was a sense of decadence that it didn¡¯t matter what life was but just to live.


    This was the most common state of ordinary people in the end-time world¨Calive.


    Suddenly the phone on the bed rang, Zhao Yuxuan picked up lazily, asked for the room number, and stood up, ¡°I¡¯m going to work. You can clean it up by yourself.¡±


    Han Yanyan watched the girl go to work. She put away the lunch box and took the key to open the door of 315.


    There was electricity, and Nanling City had a hydropower plant, which had been operating continuously. She turned on the light and saw that 315 was a large bedroom. It was a long time when no one had lived. It was empty. There were only a mattress and no bedding on the bed. There was some rubbish on the ground, and some were like torn clothes or rags.


    Han Yanyan went to the bathroom and looked at the mirror. It was the first time she had seen herself in this world.


    The electronic sound was really stingy! She wanted the incomparable beauty but it didn¡¯t give her, she wanted extraordinary strength but it didn¡¯t give her. Han Yanyan could not help greeting his ancestors in mind.


    It even allowed Han Yanyan of the end-time world to directly use the face in the previous world. This face was pure and beautiful. However, in the previous world, she was constrained by the character set, who was more tender and delicate.


    This world was better, there were fewer restrictions, and Han Yanyan could play freely.


    She looked closer to the mirror and the skin was really good, with almost no flaws. She turned her head and looked around. She felt that this ¡°Han Yanyan¡± was also 19 or 20 years old, and looked younger than the ¡°Han Yanyan¡± who had graduated from the university and entered the workplace in the previous world, but there was no softness in the eyebrows, with a sense of indifference.


    Although it was not the peerless beauty, this kind of substantial cleanliness can be more charming in this last age. After all, too many beautiful women were devastated, such as Zhao Yuxuan.


    Han Yanyan unscrewed the faucet, the pipe made a hissing sound, only a few drops of water flowed, and it was still rusty red. Han Yanyan closed the water pipe, plugged the sink, and tried to condense the water.


    She had condensed water several times this night, and she was much more proficient than when she was on the street. She quickly condensed a basin of water, but she felt tired after exerting herself. Extraordinary ability was like strength when they are used up, people will be tired, but after a while, it could be recovered.


    She went to 317 to find a broom and dustpan and tore the rags on the ground into cleaning cloth. During the time Zhao Yuxuan went out to ¡°work¡±, she cleaned the room 315. When she took the bedding to 315 and carried the box, Zhao Yuxuan returned.


    She was exhausted and smelled of sweat and semen. The water had stopped and she couldn¡¯t take a bath. This summer was really sad.


    Seeing Han Yanyan holding things, she didn¡¯t have the extra energy to ask. She just said, ¡°Pick up today?¡±


    When Han Yanyan was back to return her broom and dustpan, she stayed in her bathroom for a while before leaving, and when Han Yanyan returned to her room she was so tired that she lay down straightly Half an hour later, Zhao Yuxuan came knocking at the door and handed her a small half packet of biscuits. There were not many cookies left, probably about four or five pieces.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said.


    She looked much fresher and her odor was gone. While Han Yanyan returned the broom, she left her a bath of water.


    Han Yanyan picked up these biscuits, getting it on labor with a clear conscience.


    Zhao Yuxuan didn¡¯t leave, she hesitated and said, ¡°Sun Lijun let me tell you, the search team doesn¡¯t have meals these days here, you¡­ don¡¯t have a meal tomorrow.¡±


    Han Yanyan¡¯s hand picking up the biscuit was paused. Both of them were silent.


    Zhao Yuxuan said, ¡°Don¡¯t take it too hard.¡±


    Han Yanyan said, ¡°You haven¡¯t reached the end of the road yet.¡± She raised her biscuit.


    Zhao Yuxuan smiled slightly and shook her head.


    A pretty girl came over holding three cans that looked like tin cans, and greeted full of joy, ¡°Xuan Xuan.¡±


    Zhao Yuxuan glanced at what she was holding and asked, ¡°Canned meat?¡±


    The beauty enraptured, ¡°I went to the top floor just now.¡± She also had a bad smell of sweat and seminal fluid. After she finished speaking, she smelled at Zhao Yuxuan, ¡°Are you taking a shower? Isn¡¯t the water stopped?¡±


    Before Zhao Yuxuan said anything, Han Yanyan interposed and asked, ¡°Are you going to take a bath? I sell water. I am a water talent.¡±


    The beauty then saw Han Yanyan standing in the door, ¡°Who is she?¡±


    Zhao Yuxuan said, ¡°New here, Han Yanyan.¡± She told Han Yanyan, ¡°This is Qi Tongtong.¡±


    Qi Tongtong nodded, ¡°Come and get some water for me then.¡±


    Han Yanyan went with her to 321. Qi Tongtong¡¯s room also stocked a lot of things, but much better than Zhao Yuxuan. Zhao Yuxuan was hoarding whatever was needed or not, so it was particularly messy.


    Qi Tongtong obviously was hoarding everything useful here. In particular, she had more food than Zhao Yuxuan and her things looked better. As far as the canned meat she was carrying now, Zhao Yuxuan didn¡¯t have it.


    The can was unpacked, and it was a bare iron can. Han Yanyan asked it which turned out to be produced by the Nanling settlement.


    ¡°Did you come to Nanling just now?¡± Qi Tongtong asked, ¡°The Management Committee pulled back a production line from the outside last year. Otherwise, the meat will not be stored well and it will be wasted.¡±


    Wasted¡­ Obviously, there were still so many people starving. Women could betray themselves for half a steamed bun hoe.


    Han Yanyan gave Qi Tongtong a pot of water. She was very tired after giving water to Zhao Yuxuan, but she had took a rest before and felt easier now.


    Qi Tongtong was more generous than Zhao Yuxuan and gave her a bag of instant noodles, sealed.


    She kept screaming hot when she opened the box for instant noodles. It was really hot. In this hot summer, the windows of this hotel just open a slit from the bottom up and were particularly airless.


    Han Yanyan asked, ¡°Can¡¯t the air conditioner be turned on?¡±


    Qi Tongtong said, ¡°Limited electricity policy. There is no electricity on the plug-in boards on the wall, the main switch charged it. Only the top floor has electricity, and it is comfortable.¡±


    Han Yanyan asked, ¡°Do you want some ice?¡± After speaking, she changed, ¡°Do you want to buy some ice?¡±


    Qi Tongtong glanced, ¡°Are you duel talent?¡±


    Han Yanyan said, ¡°Well, water and ice.¡±


    ¡°Ice is pretty fierce,¡± Qi Tongtong said, ¡°why are you still here?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re terrific, not me.¡± Han Yanyan said, ¡°Want it or not?¡±


    ¡°Sure, what is the price?¡± Qi Tongtong asked.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s eyes fell on her tin can.


    ¡°Well, you are greedy.¡± Qi Tongtong said.


    The two pretty girls bargained for a while and finally dealt it. Qi Tongtong gave Han Yanyan a tin can. Han Yanyan condensed water in all the pots and pans and then frozen the water into ice. She worked for more than an hour, and finally sat so tired that she almost collapsed on the carpet.


    ¡°It¡¯s weak.¡± Qi Tongtong sighed. It can be understood how Han Yanyan a dual talent mixed with them.


    ¡°I heard¡­¡± Han Yanyan gasped and asked, ¡°Are you wood remarkable talent?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± When speaking of her power, Qi Tongtong replied lethargically, ¡°as weak as you.¡±


    Han Yanyan¡¯s eyes fell on the row of potted plants on the window sill, ¡°You planted them?¡± Those potted plants were fruit trees, very miniature, like shrinking a grown plant proportionally.


    Looking at these malformed works, Qi Tongtong was gloomy, ¡°It wastes a lot of energy to be like that.¡±


    She sighed, ¡°Look at the wheat and rice in our yard, which are planted by our wood remarkable talents. How awesome! I also want to be so powerful even in my dreams! Unfortunately, reality is cruel.¡±


    Han Yanyan said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it possible to exercise our ability?¡±


    Qi Tongtong said, ¡°Bullshit! Who doesn¡¯t know! The question is how many people can do it! The people who can do it are now remarkable! This is like losing weight before. Which fat man doesn¡¯t know that exercise can lose weight? Well, how many fat men can really succeed? ¡°


    Han Yanyan could not refute. Breathing for a while, she stood up against the bed, holding her canned food and leaving.


    ¡°Ah, new!¡± Qi Tongtong called to her, ¡°that canned food has a long shelf life, so keep it if you can keep it, and eat others first.¡±


    Han Yanyan nodded at her, thanking her.


    She returned to 315, feeling her feet were still floating. What was more important was that there was a place in her head that was painful, like a needle stuck in her head. This was a symptom of overuse of abilities.


    Abilities can be enhanced through exercise. Each time people push the limits, they will improve after recovery. But this was easy to say and too difficult to do. Just like Han Yanyan at this moment, her body was weak and powerless, her mind was like being stabbed by needles, but it was actually far from the limit.


    But Han Yanyan¡¯s life was now in the hands of the electronic voice. Whether she can survive depends on whether the task can be completed in this world.


    She dragged her sore body, filled a bathtub with water, then let it go, then filled it, let it go, then¡­


    In her mind, it was tied up with thousands of steel needles. She didn¡¯t know in how many times the bathtub was filled with water, Han Yanyan finally fainted on the bathroom floor.


    Zombie, end-time world, extraordinary ability.


    The girl in a white sarong skirt.


    Black long straight hair, pale faces.


    Before fainting, Han Yanyan thought that the name ¡°Han Yanyan¡± was truly deserved.

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8 World One: the Stronger in the End-time World (5)


    Han Yanyan had a dream, she dreamed of a pair of indifferent eyes. Under the gaze of those eyes, the whole world collapsed, whether it was inorganic or organic, stones or flesh, plants or blood, all ashing.


    Han Yanyan woke up from a nightmare until noon the next day and was sweating cold. When she heard a voice in the corridor, she got up and opened the door.


    The women in pairs went to eat together. As Ding Yao said last night, the girl in Thunder who willing to lie down and sleep with men had eaten three meals a day. As for what men are willing to give, it was all up to the girls. The men in Thunder were powerful and had good things in their hands. Compared to the outside, these girls¡¯s life was quite well. If thay had to make a comparison, it could be said that it was not only well-paid but also guaranteed personal safety.


    But if it was not to live, who would be willing to do it?


    Han Yanyan would not look down on these girls. If she didn¡¯t have a plug-in, if she really was born as a native girl in this world, she didn¡¯t know where she was and what she would be.


    She saw Qi Tongtong who lived in 321 and greeted each other. Qi Tongtong asked her while patting the door of 317, ¡°You look pale, didn¡¯t you sleep well yesterday?¡±


    Han Yanyan reluctantly replied, ¡°I used too much extraordinary ability.¡±


    ¡°Take your time,¡± Qi Tongtong said.


    Qi Tongtong asked Zhao Yuxuan out, and called Han Yanyan, ¡°Let¡¯s go eating.¡±


    Han Yanyan didn¡¯t move. Zhao Yuxuan hesitated and said, ¡°Without her food. She belongs to the search team.¡±


    Qi Tongtong looked at Han Yanyan¡¯s, as she was a fool.


    Han Yanyan, with a pale face, said softly, ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten to the point where I can¡¯t live.¡±


    Zhao Yuxuan sighed and pulled Qi Tongtong¡¯s arm. Qi Tongtong said angrily, ¡°Just your little power, don¡¯t think about it! You are just like me! Who didn¡¯t get through like this?¡±


    Zhao Yuxuan took her arm and dragged her away, and the girl twisted her arms and pointed at Han Yanyan with her fingers and shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you when I come back!¡±


    Han Yanyan lazily leaned against the door frame and watched the two of them disappear at the end of the corridor, smiled.


    When the other girls walked past her, they either stared at her boldly or peeped secretly. Han Yanyan was not afraid of these sights. She greeted them back. Most of those women hurriedly retracted her sights, and a few would roll their eyes or give her a disdainful sneer.


    They were all beautiful women with good looks. They were to be put in the palms of their hands as little princesses to be cherished and chased before the last days.


    Han Yanyan liked to observe these living people.


    She can¡¯t help it, it was an occupational disease.


    She closed the door and went back to the room. She took a bath with the last tank of water last night and ate all the instant noodles and biscuits she had earned last night. She felt her strength back, and her stomach was not full. She glanced at the tin can and held back her thought.


    At this time, the women who ate came back one after another, and Han Yanyan went knocking at the door one by one. The tap water had been restored, so her water could not be sold, but the ice was selling exceptionally well, especially the room on the south side of the hotel, which was like a steamer at noon to heat people to death.


    Han Yanyan ate the food in the room until she was full and then collected the rest. Holding several kinds of food, Han Yanyan returned to the corridor, to found that Qi Tongtong was knocking at her door.


    ¡°Where did you go?¡± Qi Tongtong complained.


    ¡°To earn food.¡± Han Yanyan showed her the rewards and opened the door.


    Qi Tongtong followed her without politeness.


    ¡°Zhao Yuxuan told me, Ding Yao fancied on you, right?¡± She talked straight and asked more straightforwardly.


    ¡°He told me three meals and five brothers a day.¡± Han Yanyan said.


    Qi Tongtong asked, ¡°Why did you even join the search team?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t agree. I just wanted to join the search team.¡± Han Yanyan said.


    But Ding Yao brought her back.


    The search team went outside to search for supplies. Although Nanling City barely maintained the operation of a city, it could only provide some basic living materials. As long as people were alive, they needed too many things and had to look outside. This work was hard and dangerous and required a lot of labor. These laborers were recruited externally, and most of them come from ordinary people without remarkable talents or remarkable talents. These people were more likely to die if they go out to pick up the waste. People followed the team as a search team, although people gave away half of what they find, the probability of survival was much higher.


    But who will bring back a person who was going to join the search team? Ding Yao brought Han Yanyan back, Was it not clear enough?


    ¡°What is your expression?¡± Han Yanyan was speechless.


    ¡°Jealous,¡± Qi Tongtong admitted.


    Han Yanyan: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Forget it, it may not be a good thing.¡± Qi Tongtong sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about my experience. Failure experience, I can¡¯t do it anyway, but it may help you a little.


    Han Yanyan listened respectfully.


    Qi Tongtong said, ¡°If you don¡¯t have the confidence to get Ding Yao down in100%, don¡¯t sleep with him.¡±


    Han Yanyan turned her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m not mean to harm you, I had lessons.¡± Qi Tongtong regretted even now.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, on this floor¡­ don¡¯t need to cover it up, They all prostitutes. Understand?¡± She said, ¡°Some luck girls being fallen in love with by someone and then can live with that man. They also sleep with men, but they don¡¯t have to be a prostitute.¡±


    ¡°I was fucking stupid at the beginning. I shouldn¡¯t fancy on Ding Yao. I am a complete fool.¡± The beautiful girl laughed herself.


    ¡°This team has a great ice-talent member called Zhang Youquan. He likes me very much. If I were willing to live with him from the beginning, I wouldn¡¯t be on the third floor now. But I was so stupid that I just want to live with Ding Yao at that time. Ding Yao slept with me, but he didn¡¯t want me, so I can¡¯t have meals without work, so others can also sleep with me. But Ding Yao had slept with me, so others dare not to live with me unless Ding Yao no longer sleeps with me. But I don¡¯t have a fixed man, so Ding Yao would sleep with me. He wants to sleep with me, can I fucking say I don¡¯t want to sleep with you? Unless I want to die.¡± Qi Tongtong thought of her own pain and wanted to vomit blood.


    Han Yanyan understood it, and could not help but feel sorry for Qi Tongtong. ¡°A vicious circle,¡± she said.


    ¡°Zhang Quanquan is coward¡± Qi Tongtong cursed. ¡°He didn¡¯t dare to tell Ding Yao that he wanted to accept me. Ding Yao didn¡¯t care at all. Whenever he talks to Ding Yao, Ding Yao would care about it!¡±


    But this man would never open his mouth. He liked Qi Tongtong but didn¡¯t go to the point of robbing a woman with Ding Yao.


    Men are always more realistic, more utilitarian, and colder than women.


    Regardless of whether Qi Tongtong knew it before, she certainly understands it now.


    ¡°You think about it by yourself. If you don¡¯t think you have the capability to take down Ding Yao, you should find a good man as soon as possible. If you can take down Ding Yao¡­¡± Qi Tongtong happily encouraged her, ¡°You bravely do it, maybe you can liberate me. ¡°


    Han Yanyan preferred Qi Tongtong more than Zhao Yuxuan.


    Zhao Yuxuan was still alive, but she gave a feeling that the soul was dead. Qi Tongtong¡¯s soul was still alive, and she would have fun in pain.


    At dinner time, Sun Lijun appeared on the third floor. Some women teased him with a grin, ¡°Oh, brother Sun, are you going to betray sister Ling while she is outside?¡±


    Sun Lijun laughed and scolded, ¡°Nonsense! Don¡¯t do that!¡±


    He ran to knock at the door of 315, ¡°Boss told you to go up.¡±


    ¡°Which floor?¡± Han Yanyan asked.


    ¡°The top floor.¡±


    ¡°Which room.¡±


    ¡°Just one room opened there. The boss lives alone on the top floor.¡±


    Han Yanyan understood that Qi Tongtong slept with Ding Yao last night.


    Han Yanyan took the elevator to the top floor and found Ding Yao¡¯s room at once. There was only a door was open on the top floor, and the room was with two wide doors. Ding Yao lived in a large luxury suite on the top floor.


    Although the door was open, Han Yanyan knocked on the door and heard a man¡¯s voice, ¡°Come in.¡±


    Stepping into that room, she felt it was hard to believe that this was the end-time world where people starved to death every day. It was luxurious and clean, with the air conditioning working, which was especially comfortable and cool. There were several dishes on the dining table, and white rice was still steaming.


    Ding Yao was sitting on the large leather sofa in the living room, reading a book. Once he saw her come in, he closed the book.


    The girl who wore a white cotton skirt and was incompatible with this place the night put on a black T-shirt and jeans at this time, and finally looked a bit like people here. The clothes and pants were too loose, but fortunately, there was a belt. The T-shirt was tucked into her pants, her thin waist seemed to break when it was folded.


    The black especially matched her white skin, like the first snow.


    Before Ding Yao didn¡¯t tell her to sit down, Han Yanyan could only stand in front of him. Ding Yao closed the book and looked at her wildly. She looked down.


    After a long time, Ding Yao seemed satisfied, and said, ¡°Are you hungry? Eat first.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, no need.¡± Han Yanyan raised her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m full.¡±


    Ding Yao was somewhat surprised.


    Han Yanyan said, ¡°I sell ice to people on the third floor in exchange for food.¡±


    Ding Yao raised his eyebrow.


    ¡°Don¡¯t have to work so hard. You can stay in this room and live the same life as before.¡± Ding Yao posed his conditions, ¡°don¡¯t care about others, just make me happy.¡±


    This condition was better than yesterday¡¯s ¡°five brothers a day¡± or ¡°four brothers a day¡±. It was already the dream of many women on the third floor. Qi Tongtong dreamed of becoming a woman of Ding Yao for long time.


    However, what Han Yanyan gave herself a character of a stubborn, tenacious, unyielding strong girl yesterday, and she was still a growing type. She raised her eyes and said firmly, ¡°I¡¯m here to join the search team.¡±


    Ding Yao nodded and said indifferently: ¡°Okay, the search team will start at seven tomorrow morning. You can come with us from the base.¡±


    Han Yanyan said thanks and asked if she could leave. With Ding Yao¡¯s permission, she turned.


    Ding Yao didn¡¯t speak loudly. His expression was not harsh, and his attitude was easy-going and indifferent. But in front of him, Han Yanyan was tense involuntarily. As soon as she stepped out of the room and came to the elevator, the sight behind her disappeared, and Han Yanyan¡¯s shoulders suddenly loosened.


    The next day, she got up early in the morning, brought a broken bag and packed some food, and went out then met Qi Tongtong who came out for breakfast.


    ¡°Do you really want to go to the search team?¡± Qi Tongtong¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Can I get a bun if I cheat you? I haven¡¯t had breakfast yet.¡± Han Yanyan teased. In fact, she was originally a person who didn¡¯t talk much, but she didn¡¯t know why she liked to talk with her. Maybe she had a karma with her?


    Qi Tongtong glared at her and said to her, ¡°Wait a while!¡± She went back to the house after speaking, took a double-strap backpack to Han Yanyan, ¡°I lend you, come back and remember to return me.¡±


    With a cheery person, Han Yanyan did to pretend to be polite: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    They separated on the first floor, and Qi Tongtong was going to the restaurant¨Cnow called the big cafeteria, while Han Yanyan was heading out.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Qi Tongtong called her.


    Han Yanyan turned her head.


    Qi Tongtong looked at her and said, ¡°Come back alive.¡±


    Han Yanyan smiled, turned and walked out.

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9 World One: the Stronger in the End-time World (6)


    Han Yanyan went out hungrily. It didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t have food. She went to other rooms to sell her ice last night, changed some food, and had a pretty good dinner.


    But she heard that the team would provide a meal for the search team, and she saved breakfast as rations outside. The search team was outside, and it was said that they only provided one meal a day, and the rest depended on themselves. There were crises everywhere, and those who can eat fully will be more effective. Han Yanyan saved all her food for battle rations.


    She rejected Ding Yao twice. This time she received no special treatment. Sun Lijun pointed at a truck to her. Han Yanyan silently climbed into the truck.


    The courtyard was noisy and orderly. The men were carrying backpacks, holding weapons, and boarding the car.


    The original shed in the rear compartment of the truck was ragged and full of holes. A protective layer of the iron bar was welded on the outside of the shed, like a large iron cage with a door.


    Han Yanyan sat in the cage and looked out through the hole in the shed, and saw Ding Yao at a glance.


    Ding Yao wore a black tight-fitting combat suit and his lean muscle lines were clearly defined. They all wore camouflage trousers and boots with a nippy air. Among so many people, this man had a strange eye-catching sense.


    The person next to him handed over a tactical vest, Ding Yao took it over and put on his body, but he cast a gaze on Han Yanyan¡¯s truck.


    Han Yanyan froze for a second and moved her body subconsciously, avoiding the big hole in the basketball and avoiding his sight. When the reaction came over, Ding Yao had already walked to an off-road vehicle and did not look at her again.


    She wondered if it was just a coincidence.


    The convoy drove to Gate Square, and the search team who were waiting early now came together. There was originally only her and four members of the team on Han Yanyan¡¯s truck, and at this moment there came in a semi-truck of people. In this hot summer, the smell suddenly was stinking.


    Han Yanyan subconsciously moved inward and turned her head. Through the hole in the carport, Ding Yao was seen again. He sat in the co-driver¡¯s seat of the off-road vehicle, lowered the window, and stretched out the window with a cigarette in his hand, flicking the ash. Han Yanyan just thought his action was handsome. The man who had just turned his face sideways to her turned his head and shut his sights like an arrow.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s breathing was paused for a second. The man¡¯s beastly alertness was really frightful. She turned her head.


    Ding Yao stared at the truck for a few seconds and reached his hand out to call someone over here.


    Han Yanyan looked at these people who just got on the car. These were what Qi Tongtong said the member recruited by the search team, mostly ordinary people or weak talents. But these people had weapons in their hands, some wooden sticks, some iron, some having choppers tied on their waists, and so on.


    Han Yanyan couldn¡¯t help but touch the fruit knife in her pocket. She only had this little fruit knife, and it was stolen from a market. Compared with other¡¯s weapons, this one was obviously too small. When they get to the place, she had to find a good weapon ¡­


    When she was thinking about it this way, the truck trembled, and a strong young man got in, showing half of his body. He was wearing a tactical vest, and it can be seen he was a member of the team. He glanced around and found Han Yanyan sitting inside. The young man¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Hey! You! Yes, it¡¯s you, beauty.¡±


    Han Yanyan watched him alertly. The young man grinned and pulled out a machete from the waist, turned the machete handle towards Han Yanyan, ¡°This is for you.¡±


    It was just like sending charcoal in the snow.


    Han Yanyan knew that she was about to go to a place where her life would be in danger. She did not hesitate, got up to take the machete in the envy of others, and said ¡°thank you¡± to the man. The young man grinning and jumped out.


    Han Yanyan looked out of the hole in the carport and saw that he had walked to Ding Yao¡¯s off-road vehicle, said something to the co-driver and then left. Ding Yao didn¡¯t show his face anymore, only stretched one hand out the window with the cigarette in his hand. The fingers of that hand were slender, with clear bones, and looked powerful.


    Han Yanyan turned her head, wiped the blade of the machete with her fingertips, and smiled.


    When she raised her eyes, several people in the car stared at her.


    Most of the people in this car were men, except Han Yanyan, there was only a stout woman in it. Her face was sallow, and when she looked her closely, she would notice that ¡°stout¡± was the first impression of a large skeleton. In fact, she had little flesh and was very thin.


    In comparison, Han Yanyan was young and beautiful, and her skin was as delicate as she can scoop out water, which was very eye-catching visually. When a few team members got into the car, they couldn¡¯t help but glance at her, and then they didn¡¯t look at her anymore. Later these people seemed to be completely indifferent to her beauty.


    In fact, they were not staring at her face now, they were staring at the machete.


    It was a good machete.


    In the outside fulling of corpse, a good knife may be the hope of survival.


    These people didn¡¯t care about the beauty of Han Yanyan. They could only think about sexual desire when they were full. They were all struggling at the bottom. What they cared about now was a living hope.


    Everyone in the team wearing the tactical vest. Han Yanyan looked like definitely a search player like them, and she looked not only slender but also weak. Some people¡¯s eyes showed a fierce light, and some people couldn¡¯t sit still.


    Han Yanyan bet that if there weren¡¯t a few team members sitting in the car at this time, she was afraid someone already got up to grab her knife.


    This was indeed a world completely different from the world in which she lives.


    Previously, Han Yanyan heard that the Thunder team would provide a meal to searchers every day. This so-called ¡°meal¡± was actually a steamed bun.


    In the base where the Thunder Team was stationed, the original garden was planted with wheat, and the original water fountain was planted with rice. Those crops did not grow naturally and were taken care of by wood-based abilities. Han Yanyan heard that Qi Tongtong said that those wood talents were pretty good, and that wheat and rice could be harvested once a week. Therefore, people liked Qi Tongtong usually ate real food such as rice and steamed buns, while they collected materials liked biscuits and beef jerky which was gave by men as currency.


    With a steamed bun for everyone, the team set off.


    Han Yanyan was hungry this morning and took a bite when she got the bun. When she looked up, she found that everyone didn¡¯t eat.


    ¡°It will take several hours on the road, and we will eat when we are about to arrive¡­¡± a gaunt middle-aged man across the face whispered.


    Han Yanyan understood it, thanked him, bit two more like a filling portion and put the remaining into her backpack.


    The convoy rumbled out of the gate. The gate was not the original binding. The ancient city wall was only a tourist attraction in the past. It had lost its old existence significance for a long time, and naturally, there would be no gate. Later, the zombies erupted, and the survivors retreated into the old city and relied on the ancient city wall to survive. So they reinstalled the gate, and the ancient city wall renewed its vitality.


    Although Han Yanyan¡¯s mind had information about this world, the information was too unilateral, which was far more vividly when she saw it. Since exiting the city gate, she had been looking out through the hole of the carport.


    Outside the city was still Nanling City, and it was much more modern than the old city in the city walls, with many more high-rise buildings. But now those buildings were very run-down, and there was no crowd. The doors of the shops on the side of the road were all open, or the glass windows were broken. Occasionally looked inside, it was empty, and apparently, all things had been swept away.


    Occasionally one or two people can be seen on the street, who were all scavengers. The so-called search team, to put it plainly, was a group of scavengers.


    But Han Yanyan never saw zombies.


    Han Yanyan came to the world. She wanted to see the most, one remarkable talents, the other zombies.


    Coincidentally, she was preparing to write a zombie eschatology before she somehow encountered a car accident and entered this inexplicable quick-transmigration world. She originally lived in the suburbs. That day, she went to the VR pavilion in the urban area, watched a VR zombie movie, and played a VR game of played zombies, to find thought for her new writing. Who knew when driving home at night, a white light falling from the sky, she came to this fucking quick-transmigration world and became ¡°Han Yanyan¡±.


    She had seen the remarkable talents, and now she was interested in zombies. But after walking out of the city gate, she never saw the zombies but occasionally seeing some wandering scavengers. Although the survivors mainly lived in the old city area inside the city walls, zombies had been mopped up almost all over Nanling City.


    Han Yanyan finally closed her eyes like other people. She got up too early and fell asleep soon.


    Suddenly she woke up and heard a strange sound. As soon as her heart contracted, she woke up. This way of wake-up was commonly known as ¡°awaken abruptly¡±. When she woke up, her brain and heart were uncomfortable.


    Han Yanyan endured uncomfortably and asked, ¡°What voice?¡±


    The person next to her looked at her inexplicably: ¡°Ah?¡±


    Han Yanyan said, ¡°What¡¯s calling?¡± She heard strange noises, liked men but not human beings, and not like animals.


    Everyone in the car looked at her like she stared at an idiot.


    Han Yanyan suddenly understood. She turned her head and looked out of the shed. The rotting and inflexible zombies were chasing after the convoy. Han Yanyan held her breath.


    She finally saw the real zombie! This world was really not the world she lived in!


    This was the end world of zombies, like in a novel.


    Those zombies were ordinary zombies, who run about as fast as humans, or even slower, and they certainly couldn¡¯t catch up with the team. The team didn¡¯t mean to stop for them. They passed through several places that looked like towns along the way but only parked for two or three times to let everyone get off the car to solve the physiological problems and exercise their muscles by the way.


    Although the search team also had a small number of women, Han Yanyan was the only young and beautiful, she was particularly eye-catching.


    She listened to the advice of others and did not eat all the steamed buns for one time, just ate a little when she was too hungry along the way. As soon as she got back to the car, a member of the team went to the trucks and yelled, ¡°It¡¯s time to eat, and we¡¯ll be in Yihai in an hour.¡±


    Han Yanyan took out the remaining half of the hoe and looked out of the car while rubbing it. As soon as she took a bite in her mouth, she saw a zombie came out of the bushes near the tree and pounced on the nearest person. Han Yanyan¡¯s pupil narrowed.


    No one screamed, and no one panicked. The man closest to the zombies was just a little bit embarrassed because he was caught off guard. The people next to him had already kicked over and dumped the zombie which had been uncoordinated to the ground. Someone smashed its head with an iron rod, and the zombie was completely ¡°dead¡±.


    Team members didn¡¯t even move, it was over.


    People were used to it.


    Han Yanyan bowed her head and continued eating. Fortunately, she had a steamed bun in her mouth when the incident happened, otherwise she really couldn¡¯t guarantee to scream. After watching so many movies and playing so many VR games when the real zombies appeared in front of her eyes, the inherent fear still occupied her brain.


    That did not work.


    There were still a few minutes before the start of the bus, Han Yanyan suddenly put away the remaining bun, jumped out of the car, pulled out her handle to open the machete, and chopped it according to the head of the zombie on the ground!


    Everyone looked at her anticly. The zombie was completely dead. What can they cut?


    However, Han Yanyan ignored the sights of others. She put up with nausea and chopped off the head of the zombie, which was stabbed by others, and cut off the neck of the zombie. Finally, she took a few cuts in all parts of the zombie body. She rubbed the disgusting thing on the knife in the grass next to her and crawled back to the truck.


    Ding Yao was smoking with several men.


    Someone scolded: ¡°What nerves does this woman have?¡±


    Ding Yao sat on the isolation pier, playing with a lighter, throw a glance over there: ¡°to find the feeling.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Ding Yao did not explain, put away the lighter and got up: ¡°The whole team, go.¡±


    The convoy started again. When it arrived in Yihai, it was already afternoon.


    The convoy entered the city rumblingly, and the zombies came out of the city and chased the convoy, gradually assembled behind the team.


    Han Yanyan took the dead zombie on the road to practice her skill, and also overcome nausea. It can be said that her adaptability was super strong. But at this time when she saw the zombies clad at the back of the truck, her nose seemed to smell the rancid odor, with uncontrollable creepy, her breathing was heavy.


    The team took a lap, entered a straight road that was not too wide, and suddenly slowed down and stopped. Han Yanyan¡¯s car was at the end of the line and watched as the zombies approached. She just felt that her heart was beating like a drum, her mouth was dry and her adrenaline was secreted.


    She pulled out a machete and held it tightly in her hand, but found that the four team members on the truck were completely indifferent. Although the other search members were a little nervous, they did not panic. Was there any preparation or backhand she did not know about?


    As she was thinking, a purple power grid formed between the last truck and the zombies, with crackling sparks, pushing towards the zombies ¡­


    Han Yanyanyan remembered that there was a laser net in the secret room of the movie ¡°Resident Evil 1¡±, which instantly cut people into pieces.


    Han Yanyan, who jumped out of the truck, stood at the back of the truck and stared at the zombie piled of nearly 100 meters long on the road. She even smelled the smell of barbecue.


    What she just saw made her lose her language, leaving only a word in her mind¡ª


    Awesome!

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10 World One: the Stronger in the End-time World (7)


    Han Yanyan held the machete and walked carefully on the street. When she saw a store, she wanted to go in, but saw a search member ran in before her, so she had to give up and move on. The team would stay here until the evening, during which time the search team would spread out and search for supplies.


    Han Yanyan held her machete and chopped down a zombie turned from the corner, she felt a little regretful.


    Ding Yao was so powerful! The man¡¯s strength was beyond her imagination.


    She wanted incomparable beauty but the electric voice gave her a discount. She asked the electronic voice to the extraordinary strength, the electronic voice also gave her a discount.


    That day she repeatedly used her powers until she passed out, forcing herself to push the limits, and the next day she woke up with unbearable pain and obvious sequela. However, her powers were indeed stronger than the first day in this world.


    Although she didn¡¯t have extraordinary strength, she can be considered a plug-in. According to the information given to her by the electronic voice, as long as she kept exercising like this, her power would improve faster than others. Given her enough time, she would slowly grow stronger.


    That was, based on this pre-provided message, when she saw Ding Yao, she decided to set up a character of stubborn and strong girl, then slowly grew stronger and stronger, and eventually could fight alongside Ding Yao. In the novels she written before, growth heroines were the most praised. Through this continuous growth and progress, she wanted to gradually attract Ding Yao, and wanted Ding Yao to ignore her seductive body and fall in love with her unyielding soul.


    Really a fucking idea!


    She thought she was incredible. Today she saw how Ding Yao used a power grid to wipe out a zombie across the road, and she realized that she must be at the lower level.


    Ding Yao was really a plug-in! He was so incredible that made her felt hopeless. What can she do to fight with him! Damn it!


    Han Yanyan thought with a serious face, and now she was not sure if it was too late to amend her character setting. At this moment, will it look too cheap to look for a chance to throw a hug to Ding Yao and play a role like a delicate flower?


    The environment around her didn¡¯t allow her to think at this time. Han Yanyan held the machete and was vigilant.


    She came all the way. She was with several people at the beginning, and then everyone gradually dispersed, and each occupied an area with a tacit understanding. She had no experience as a newcomer, and all the places she saw were preempted by others. Therefore, she had to go further.


    She killed some zombies when she was with these people, and she had almost adapted to this world now. From the moment she got off the truck, she had a piece of bun in her mouth in case an untimely scream came out from her mouth when she saw the zombies. At this moment another zombie was chopped down. She swallowed her bun softly and went into a small shop with a machete.


    The store was messy and it seemed to have been turned over. After all, the zombie virus outbroken in this world had been going on for years. But Han Yanyan still found some food, lighters and sanitary napkins from the store!


    Especially sanitary napkins!


    She didn¡¯t think about it at first, and suddenly saw the sanitary napkins on the shelf, and quickly stuffed some into the schoolbag. This thing took up space, although it was not heavy, the backpack was filled up all at once.


    Han Yanyan found several storage bags, folded them and put them in school bags, and kept them for future loading. Then she flipped through the small store and found some food in the back warehouse, but she mainly took some daily necessities, such as¡­ panties and bras.


    Han Yanyan ate a bun today. This bun made her realize that not only the management committee could organize production, but even the Thunder team could also grow wheat and rice in Nanling City. As long as she found a way, whether she was selling ice or body, she could always get food.


    On the contrary, some non-essential necessities were difficult to obtain in Nanling City.


    She came to this world empty-handed, and she still wore the same underwear!


    When Han Yanyan left the store, her backpack was already swollen. She had been quicker than she was at the beginning, and she already had the experience.


    She continued to explore forward. By the time the sun was not so bright, her backpack was already bulging with a storage bag for futons, which was also bulging. She walked into another building, and after going through the building, she hurried back but was caught in it.


    Han Yanyan didn¡¯t expect that there would be so many zombies in the building. Her current power was not strong enough yet. In the end, she was blocked in the hallway, and the zombies in the building stretched their arms towards her.


    Han Yanyan was forced to the end of the corridor, and there was nowhere to hide, but she couldn¡¯t cut it. She has been forced to the fifth floor from being blocked by zombies on the second floor, and her physical strength has been unable to keep up.


    At the moment of life and death, Han Yanyan bit her teeth and launched her extraordinary ability. Water power was completely useless to zombies, and ice power was not strong enough to attack. Han Yanyan activated the ice ability and wrapped her body with a thin layer of ice.


    The zombies approaching her suddenly slowed down, and had a look of losing pre. Han Yanyan knew she did right.


    The zombies of this world were described in a similar way to the zombie in novels she had seen before. These zombies had virtually no vision, but they were sensitive to bloody odors, body heat, and sound. On the second floor, Han Yanyan accidentally kicked a fire extinguisher that had fallen to the ground down the stairs, only to alarm the zombies of the entire building.


    Now Han Yanyan was standing against the wall, and most of her body was covered with thin ice. She was still making a mask-like ice cover on her face, holding the heat of her breath.


    She made no sound or heat, and to the zombies, it was equivalent to disappearing in the air. The zombies stopped the culling action, vacantly wandering, and gradually dispersed.


    Han Yanyan, whose body was covered with thin ice, moved down the stairs little by little. On the second floor, she did not forget to pick up her storage bag and took it out of the building together. When she left the building, she closed the door and found a stick on the door handle. In this way, if someone comes here to see it, they would found out that it was dangerous.


    The door of that building was made of wood, but there was glass on it. Han Yanyan saw the person behind her who had attacked her from the reflection of the glass.


    She flashed, and the stick that was supposed to knock her back now hit her on the shoulder. This was not a joke. This was a stick with a heart of murder and malice. Han Yanyan suspected that her shoulder blades may have been cracked. The man reached out to catch her, but only held her backpack. Han Yanyan shook off her backpack but slipped off the stairs. Fortunately, there were only three steps outside the door of the building, which was not high.


    But the man had chased her down, and he had picked up Han Yanyan¡¯s machete on the ground, and when he raised the machete, about to cut it down. Han Yanyan struck her ankle, and the man lost balance and fell towards her. Han Yanyan ducked away. But immediately, she was grabbed by the man and was pulled back.


    The strength of men and women was truly incomparable. At this moment, Han Yanyan had nowhere to leverage and was dragged back directly. As soon as Han Yanyan turned over, she pressed her hand against the man¡¯s face. Then the man¡¯s face was full of ice.


    The men¡¯s features were pasted by the ice, and a muffled sound was heard. Han Yanyan kicked him away and wanted to get up and run, but the man had already chopped off the thin layer of ice on his face and caught her when he reached out. He picked the machete off and wanted to cut Han Yanyan¡¯s face.


    At the moment of death, Han Yanyan held the machete with her two hands. Fortunately, the man was lying on the ground like her, and the path of wielding a machete was limited. The power of this knife was not strong, and he did not directly cut her palm. But the severe pain still made Han Yanyan blackout.


    At the juncture of life and death, power broke out in the body. The white ice began to spread from the blade held by Han Yanyan¡¯s hands, freezing the two wrists, arms, and elbows of the man.


    The ice this time was not a thin layer formed just now in the warehouse, this time the ice was much thicker and much stronger.


    But the man wrestled with her, and Han Yanyan heard a slight crackling sound. She gritted her teeth to release the power, strengthening the ice on the man¡¯s elbow. At this time, the man¡¯s arm was temporarily fixed in such a posture, he could just press Han Yanyan by his weight, and he could no longer hack her by arm forces.


    Taking advantage of this short gap, Han Yanyan reached her left hand to hold the machete, and her right hand reached into her pants pocket and got the fruit knife¡­


    This was not for fun, nor was it a joke, this was life and death.


    Han Yanyan pierced the fruit knife into the man¡¯s neck, then pulled it out, stabbed it again, pulled it out, and then¡­


    He had a static aortic rupture, was jetting blood. The blood was hot, salty, and fishy! This was totally different from killing zombies!


    Han Yanyan killed a person!


    Han Yanyan always felt that she was probably abnormal for a long time for indoors life.


    She liked to watch all kinds of heavy tastes, including novels, TV series and movies and write some heavy-taste novels on some websites under a different pseudonym. Some novels were about bloody killings.


    Even when she was killing zombies all the way just now, she was all excited with the feeling of ¡°she can finally be so happy¡±, like a long-suppressed person who could finally be completely hilarious.


    Until now, Han Yanyan could finally confirm that she was not in a state of perversion, and she was actually a normal human.


    Han Yanyan pushed the man¡¯s body down from her and moved back with her feet on the ground until her back was against the steps.


    The man¡¯s eyes were still open. It was about feeling that he should capture a weak woman easily, but he did not expect that she was a remarkable talent. Although her power was so weak that she could not take the initiative to attack, he was still killed in the end, and he was unwilling to die.


    After coming to this world, she had always shown the calmness, but at this time, all of her strong girl setting and calmness have collapsed. Han Yanyan now wanted to cry and shout. Her two hands were shaking, in addition to the fear that had not yet dissipated, but also because the flesh of her palms had rolled up and she saw the bones.


    But Han Yanyan was still sensible after all.


    She trembled with pain, but closed her teeth, swallowed the screams back, and washed the blood off with water ability. Zombies were sensitive to both sound and blood. If she recruited zombies now, the mission of this world may be directly over.


    The blood on her skin was washed away easily, but the blood on her clothes was troublesome. Han Yanyan froze the wound on the palm of her hand and planned to leave here as soon as possible. She got her weapon back firstly.


    Han Yanyan wanted to stand up but fell to the ground again. It was good that she didn¡¯t piss her pants because of fear. The sequela of a large amount of adrenal hormone secretion in a short time was that her body was weak after the tension had passed. Han Yanyan had no choice but to hold her palm up and crawled toward the body with her wrist. Her machete was still in the man¡¯s hand, frozen with the corpse.


    Han Yanyan had already seen clearly that the man was in the same truck with her. After getting out of the truck, the Thunder team assigned them directions. Basically, one truck was in one direction, and the people in the same car were searching in the same direction. She remembered that the man had previously entered a building and was preemptively occupying the place, so Han Yanyan had been walking farther away to find her own ¡°site¡±. She did not expect that this person would follow her, let alone that this person wanted to kill her.


    She couldn¡¯t figure out why. What did she have worth being killed by him?


    Han Yan shivered and crawled over, trying to grab her machete, but fell because of a wound on her palm. She took a breath and was about to grab the knife again and suddenly froze.


    A shadow hit on the corpse. Han Yanyan didn¡¯t know when this shadow appeared. Just now, the struggle between life and death was too fierce, and it was impossible to notice such details. At this moment the sun was a little bit westward, and the shadow was stretched a little longer, but it was clearly human.


    Han Yanyan turned his head and looked.


    Ding Yao stood there on the fence and looked down at her.


    How long has he been there? Had Seen everything?


    Han Yanyan¡¯s thoughts were mixed, but no matter what, she saw Ding Yao and the whole body really relaxed. She knew that she would not die even if a large group of zombies came at this time.


    She was loose, and she sat on the ground with panting.


    Go fucking strong girl character set! Han Yanyan couldn¡¯t hold it.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11 World One: World One: the Stronger in the End-time World (8)


    Ding Yao jumped from the wall in an agile way. He walked up to Han Yanyan and squatted down and looked at her hands. Her palms were covered with a thin layer of translucent ice, which may be seen her red meat and white bone indistinctly.


    Ding Yao nodded, ¡°Nothing.¡±


    With that, he stood up to pick up the machete. The machete disappeared when his Fingertip touched its blade point. At the same time, Han Yanyan remembered that she had not only a thunder power but also a space power.


    Ding Yao put that man¡¯s backpack, Han Yanyan¡¯s backpack and the storage bag into his space, and then when he turned back, he found Han Yanyan had stood up wobbly by the flowerbed beside the steps. Ding Yao looked at her and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Han Yanyan nodded. Then Ding Yao walked ahead, but he heard a sound behind him without two steps. So he turned around and found that Han Yanyan sat on the ground again.


    She had legs softened.


    ¡°First kill?¡± asked Ding Yao. He did not expect to kill a person like this, because he had seen her killing the zombies in a very fierce way, and she was not timid.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s face was as pale as paper and nodded.


    ¡°Just get used to it.¡± Ding Yao said, extending his hand to her.


    Han Yanyan stretched out her hand, then Ding Yao held her by the wrist and pulled her up with his hand which was as strong as an iron tong. Han Yanyan also wanted to help him, but Ding Yao had bent down to catch her, getting up and carrying her.


    Han Yanyan caught off guard with his head down, so she exclaimed in surprise, and immediately covered her mouth.


    When the two zombies heard the sound, they wandered this way, then they were split by two purple thunderbolts and smashed into charred dregs on the ground. Han Yanyan calmed down.


    With him, she felt security was not a problem.


    It was almost time to gather when the sun was sloping. Ding Yao carried Han Yanyan and made a big stride in the direction of the fleet. It turned out Han Yanyan looked at the ground and quickly back away. After a while, she became dizzy and closed her eyes.


    She had been thinking about Ding Yao¡¯s words, ¡°Just get used to it.¡± Can she get used to killing people? Did Ding Yao kill many people?


    ¡°Mr. Ding.¡± She suddenly opened her eyes and asked, ¡°Why did the man kill me? ¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot to gain. Let me meet, also want to cut a beard.¡± Ding Yao said carelessly.


    That¡¯s it. That¡¯s the simple reason to kill. Han Yanyan smiled bitterly because she found that she was a fool in this world, and before that, she felt that she was enjoying the world.


    Ding Yao suddenly said: ¡°Your combat consciousness is very good.¡± As if he known her frustration.


    This sentence was indescribable, but he was really praising her. And it also let Han Yanyan understand that Ding Yao at least saw the whole fight between her and the man.


    He didn¡¯t help her and just looked at her.


    Maybe it was because he was so confident that he could save her in the most critical circumstances. Or maybe it was because it didn¡¯t matter to him whether she would be dead or alive. Of course, the bigger possibility was that he took a fancy to her but he didn¡¯t force her, because he thought it was more interesting to tame her as a wild horse.


    She preferred the latter. Because the man was on her side, but he just stood by and let her go through this suffering.


    It was not comfortable to be carried on his shoulder. She was not only dizziness, but also felt upset because her stomach was hit again and again. In this turbulence, Han Yanyan¡¯s panic of killing people for the first time gradually disappeared, and she recovered her calmness.


    She looked up, only to see Ding Yao¡¯s broad shoulders.


    Nice. Although things have little twists and turns, they have unexpectedly developed in a good direction. Ding Yao had been staring at her all the time, which shown that he was really interested in her. And this unexpected twists and turns also gave the ¡°stubborn girl¡± a step down.


    Next, whatever got stronger or not, let she be free. The two things can¡¯t have the order reversed. Because She didn¡¯t come to the world to survive here, she did it to attack and seize Ding Yao.


    Only getting Ding Yao down could she who lived in the real world survive.


    Ding Yao had a vary fast speed without affected by carrying a large living man, and they returned to the fleet for a while.


    ¡°Lijun, come and cure her.¡± Ding Yao carried Han Yanyan and strode directly to his SUV, opening the back door and stuffing her in.


    Sun Lijun trotted over and looked, ¡°Ouch, what¡¯s wrong with her? Who did it? ¡±


    It did by human, not by a zombie, according the wound. Whether it was trying to rape or wanted to rob, this man did to Ding boss¡¯s woman, probably now he had gone to dead. Sun Lijun observed a second of silence for the man.


    Han Yanyan once again led Sun Lijun¡¯s niubility. The wound which laid open to the bone healed in just a moment, leaving no scars. She looked at the smooth palms of both hands and took a long breath.


    Ding Yao sat in his co-pilot¡¯s seat and threw over two dresses, ¡°Change it.¡±


    Han Yanyan¡¯s clothes were soaked in blood, and the smell of blood will lead to zombies.


    Han Yanyan hugged the clothes and looked at Ding Yao.


    Sun Lijun walked away with a meaningful glance, waved his hand and took away the two team members beside the car. There was no one near the SUV, Han Yanyan hiding in the back of the car to change the clothes, and no one can see that.


    But Ding Yao could see this.


    Ding Yao¡¯s eyes appeared in the rear-view mirror, and he also looked at Han Yanyan.


    Han Yanyan looked at the eyes silently for a second, leaning slightly, lifting her hand to take off the T-shirt stained with blood.


    Ding Yao looked in the rear-view mirror. He saw that her thin shoulders and slender waist were hidden in the dark carriage, and her skin was shining. The girl¡¯s eyes were drooping and her expression was stoic, which made the man feel happy.


    She took a good measure and Ding Yao lowered his head and lit a cigarette.


    Han Yanyan quickly changed her blood-stained trousers into a ball, ¡°This¡­ ¡±


    Ding Yao bit the smoke, got the blood clothes with a backhand, and then put those into his space. Next, he pulled back his hand and pressed the horn, so the driver ran over and pulled the door open and got into the car.


    Han Yanyan wanted to talk but stop. Ding Yao saw that from the rear-view mirror, his finger caught the cigarette and he said to her, ¡°you take this car.¡±


    Then Han Yanyan was quiet.


    The sun was slanting westward, and the fleet had reached its scheduled departure time.


    Most of the searchers were back, but a few didn¡¯t come back, who may be dying in the mouth of a zombie or under a companion. The fleet waited a little longer, and then set out without a shadow of a few people.


    No one got on Ding Yao¡¯s car again. Han Yanyan occupied the back seat alone and simply lay down to rest. A deadly fight, though not long, almost exhausted her physical strength. Physical strength was still in the second place. What¡¯s more, Han Yanyan felt mentally indescribable fatigue.


    She could see Ding Yao¡¯s side face while she was lying in the back seat, her head on the driving side, but the light was too dark to see the details clearly. Only a silhouette was seen. The bridge of the nose was straight and the line of the jaw was firm. Occasionally, he turned his head and thrown a glance at her. His eyes were deep and bright, which made her breath stagnant.


    The man¡­ Was she capable of making him fall in love with her? Han Yanyan slightly felt shaken.


    She lay in the back, listening to Ding Yao spoke in a low voice with the driver. The team¡¯s destination was a factory on the outskirts of the Yihai City, about how many kilometers, how long it will take. Meanwhile, Han Yanyan unconsciously fell asleep.


    She woke up suddenly as the car stopped. It was dark outside and the lights were on the fleet. The car stopped and the roar of the engine quieted down. She sat up and noticed that the convoy was out of town, surrounded by buildings that looked shadowy and modest, like factories.


    This place was really an industrial zone. She remembered listening to Ding Yao and the driver on the way. The purpose of their visit was the machine tool in the factory.


    ¡°You stay in the car. ¡± Ding Yao said to Han Yanyan, and he said to the driver, ¡°You look at her.¡±


    The driver nodded and didn¡¯t get off. Ding Yao got off the car alone.


    Han Yanyan saw through the window that the Thunder team members were assembling, but the search team were all left on the truck, which had an iron cage to protect them.


    ¡°What are they doing? ¡± Han Yanyan asked.


    The driver replied, ¡±Clear the site.¡± He looked at her and comforted her, said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the boss will lead the team.¡±


    Han Yanyan didn¡¯t know why the man could know she was worried. Before yesterday she was able to maintain an independent self, today when Ding Yao carried her back, it seemed that he had declared his sovereignty. Maybe She was already a woman of Ding Yao in those guy¡¯s eyes.


    She shut her mouth and watched in silence.


    Ding Yao took the players into the dark factory.


    Soon there were all sorts of noises, with the screams of zombies and the sound of gunfire and explosions. those voices faint, but cannot stop into the ears in dozens of meters away and across the factory walls and houses.


    There was a violent sound in the middle, and then it fell silent. After a while, the factory suddenly shone brightly.


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s fine. They found the backup power.¡± The driver said, lighting a cigarette, was not very worried.


    But Han Yanyan always felt that the screams of those zombies were especially terrible, not quite the same as what she saw during the day. The driver listened for a moment and said, ¡°Shit, there are at least three mutant zombies¡­ No, four! ¡±


    The driver was a plain-looking middle-aged man. Han Yanyan looked at the back of his head and thought he must have a story.


    Everyone had stories, and the stories of all people were intertwined and constituted the world. Because Qi Tongtong also had a story, Zhao Yuxuan also had. Sun Lijun and Lao Zhang were both people with stories.


    Han Yanyan thought that what she had to do in the world was to make up the story of her and Ding Yao to make ¡°the electronic sound¡± satisfied.


    They took more than two hours of the entire clearing process. Finally, a team member came out of the inside, opened the gate of the factory completely, and made a gesture.


    The motorcade which parked in the open space, drove the car into the factory one by one in order, and then the search team got off. Someone from the team came over and said, ¡°Tomorrow you¡¯ll have to work, and that¡¯s it today. Find your own place to rest in the dormitory. ¡±


    There was a four-story building next to the factory building, which was what the man said was the dormitory. Under the lead of team member, the searchers went upstairs looking for a room to sleep in.


    Han Yanyan did not follow the crowd, standing in there for a moment, Ding Yao¡¯s driver with the intercom trot over, ¡°the boss called you.¡±


    Han Yanyan followed him into the dormitory building and up the fourth floor. The dormitory was like a college dormitory. The rooms were full of double beds with iron frames. Some open rooms can have 20 or 30 people.


    Han Yanyan also saw Sun Lijun in the corridor to heal others. The injured man bared his teeth and scolded while shouting pain, ¡°Fuck, these zombies was locked in the factory by human. Gnawing at each other, people raised more than a dozen mutant zombies, which was like the cultivation of the evil, really fucking alive! ¡±


    Han Yanyan has seen this kind of plot in many zombies novels in the past. but she felt cold when she thought of those roars in really live.


    The rooms on the fourth floor were not the same as those on the downstairs. From the open doors, they were all formal rooms with Simmons bed, tables and chairs, which should be the dormitory for the management of the factory.


    Ding Yao picked the one at the end of the corridor.


    ¡°I have a meeting, there¡¯s a meal in the room, you eat it yourself,¡± said Ding Yao, ¡°Stay here today.¡±


    He said, glanced at her and went downstairs.


    Han Yanyan got into the room. It was a simple single room with a double bed with clean sheets, which should be brought by Ding Yao in his space. And there was a desk at the head of the bed with a lunch box. Han Yanyan opened the lunch box with four steamed buns inside. There was also an opened can of meat on the desk.


    Han Yanyan knew that she was going to sleep in this room with Ding Yao tonight.


    She grabbed the steamed buns and took a big bite.


    Translator¡¯s notes: Ah, I saw someone write a long review and give a rate at 5 on NU. I¡¯m so excited about it now! The reader has the same feeling with me about this novel Strategy to Capture Men. What the reader had written is what I really want to let my readers know. It¡¯s not a simple novel; it has its own theme. But I¡¯m sorry for my poor translation. I really want more people to find and read this novel. Actually, I don¡¯t know whether there are readers who want to help me proofread the chapters or not. Please contact with me. Thank you for your reading!

 Chapter 12.1

    Chapter 12 part 1 World One: World One: the Stronger in the End-time World (9)


    Han Yanyan didn¡¯t know the exact time without a watch. But she roughly estimated that it would be about 10 p.m.


    She was so hungry. There was food in her backpack, but Ding Yao took it away. While waiting for the team to clear the field in the car, the driver gave her a sausage. But now she was so hungry that she ate two steamed buns by herself.


    She turned off the light and stood by the window, eating a steamed bun with meat, looking at the people below. It was dark downstairs, and there was a light at the door. Team members gathered in the open space and Ding Yao was speaking. she could not hear what he was talking about. Probably what he said was the meeting he mentioned.


    Han Yanyan ate an iron can of meat with two steamed buns till her stomach swelled. And she even licked her fingers clean.


    She would never have done anything like that. But three days into the world, she only ate meat on the first day. Yesterday and today, she relied on broken biscuits and cold steamed bread to satisfy her hunger.


    At this moment, if Ding Yao were here, she would agree to any request he made. She wasn¡¯t really hungry. Han Yanyan understood that those who were so hungry that they could sell themselves for two cookies when she thought of the sallow and emaciated people.


    However, looking at the small room, Han Yanyan felt a little lost for her and Ding Yao¡¯s first time in such simple conditions. The woman always has some sensibility, even if she just wanted to take Ding Yao down, she hoped the condition will not be so bad.


    Han Yanyan had some regret that if Ding Yao could wait, it would be nice to return to his Grand Suite in Nanling.


    But she knew that Ding Yao was not going to wait. Men didn¡¯t want a romantic environment for this kind of thing like women. They wanted to solve it immediately when they had needs.


    Ding Yao looked at her before going downstairs and expressed this meaning clearly. He was going to sleep with her tonight.


    Not to mention Ding Yao, actually, Han Yanyan herself wanted to drag Ding Yao to the building, riding under her body and do him hard, so as to dispel the fear that was pressing on her heart. While she was sitting safely by the clean bed at this time, she recalled the thrill between life and death in the daytime and the terrible roar of the mutated zombies in this factory.


    Fear was human instinct, and sex also was human instinct. Sometimes the latter could effectively eliminate the former.


    For people like Ding Yao, it was an effective way to alleviate the sequelae caused by adrenal hormones after the battle.


    Suddenly someone knocked at the door. Then Ding Yao¡¯s driver opened the door and looked in. ¡°Why don¡¯t you turn the lights on? ¡±


    Han Yanyan said, ¡°because of mosquitoes.¡± and went over and turned on the light.


    The man asked, ¡°Have you eaten yet? ¡±


    Han Yanyan said: ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve got the boiler and the water tank ready to shower.¡± The man told her, ¡°The bathroom is over there, it is public. They¡¯ve already done the washing. There was no girl on this floor. You can wait until we¡¯ve finished.¡±


    This was a good news. At least for the first time, she didn¡¯t have to sleep with Ding Yao with sweat.


    When the man left, Han Yanyan turned around and found a towel and toiletries on the bed. It seemed that Ding Yao took them with him. There was really no more convenient power than space power. How enviable.


    There was nothing else, and Han Yanyan had to wait. So she turned off the light and looked down at the window. The voice below came up, vague and inauthentic.


    The team members broke up, but Ding Yao didn¡¯t leave. He was still talking to several people left. All the men lit up their cigarettes. Looking down from the top, Han Yanyan couldn¡¯t see his face clearly. She only saw that the orange cigarette end was on and off.


    But she knew clearly who was Ding Yao. She could feel his aura across the four-story heights.


    In fact, men¡¯s baths were all showers. After all, in the summer, everyone was sweating. There were also people with blood, whether it was their own or someone else¡¯s, washing would be safer.


    Every one of them was quick. Han Yanyan didn¡¯t wait too long. Ding Yao was still talking downstairs. The driver knocked at the door again with his head half dry. ¡°OK, you can wash it.¡±


    Han Yanyan responded without moving.

 Chapter 12.2

    Chapter 12 part 2 World One: World One: the Stronger in the End-time World (9)


    The man downstairs suddenly burst out into laughing at this time. Han Yanyan faintly heard the word ¡°beauty¡±. She also saw Ding Yao suddenly raised his head and looked upstairs.


    They would kick up a fuss, probably everyone knew Ding Yao was going to sleep with her tonight. Meanwhile, the corner of Han Yanyan¡¯s mouth trembled for a while, and then she put on a towel and toiletries and went to the public bath.


    The bathroom was at the other end of the corridor, with two rows of cubicles, one row of six, a total of twelve cubicles, with a long wooden bench in the middle. The cubicle looked vintage with a spring-mounted wooden door at the top of the knee.


    Han Yan took her clothes and shoes off the bench and went into the cubicle barefoot. Everyone knew she was Ding Yao¡¯s woman, so she didn¡¯t worry about someone taking the opportunity to offend her.


    No one dares.


    Unscrewed the switch and the warm water came out of the shower. Ding Yao seemed to have any talented subordinates. These people could not only fight for him but also repair the boiler!


    Han Yanyan remembered the weekly harvest of wheat and rice in Thunder Base. Ding Yao ran a team that had become a small, self-sufficient society. Even if Nanling City was paralyzed, the Thunder team could still live independently.


    Han Yanyan was carefully washing the body, while she was thinking about Ding Yao was what kind of person, thinking about how she could deal with this man.


    Facing the wall and leaning back to let the hot water rush to her face, she heard the squeaking of the spring-wood door pushed open behind her. Before she could respond, she had been wrapped in a pair of powerful arms. Han Yanyan turned around in the arms of the man when she saw that it was Ding Yao, and then she relaxed.


    Ding Yao was satisfied with her reaction and pushed her against the wall, lowering his head and biting her lips.


    It¡¯s fierce. This man¡¯s predator was to the taste of Han Yanyan.


    Han Yanyan had also accumulated a day¡¯s pressure to release. She reached out and grabbed Ding Yao¡¯s neck to respond to him. Ding Yao is thin and strong with distinct muscle mass. The two naked bodies intertwined together in hot water, feeling each other¡¯s hardness or softness. Desire transpired with white water vapor.


    Suddenly there was a faint scream in the corridor, which was quick, short, and vanished.


    Two of the members who slept next door to the bathroom were already lying down and suddenly turned and sat up together. These people survived in the end-time world had trained the super alertness.


    ¡°That sound was?¡±


    ¡°¡­ It¡¯s a woman.¡±


    The faces of the two men suddenly became strange.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this just coming out of the house, the boss isn¡¯t holding back these days? How¡­¡±


    What¡¯s the big deal? The pain screams just now¡­ Apparently, the girl suffered¡­


    The two men looked at each other.


    ¡°Sleep! ¡±


    ¡°Well, sleep, sleep! I¡¯m still working tomorrow! ¡±


    Han Yanyan was so pained that her fingernails were scratched into Ding Yao¡¯s flesh. Ding Yao glanced at the floor and saw a bright red disappeared down the drain under the yellow light.


    ¡°Virgin?¡± he asked.


    This time, the human settings in this world were almost blank, and she was allowed to play freely. Han Yanyan liked this, but she didn¡¯t expect that ¡°the electronic sound¡± had prepared her an virgin body. She greeted the 18 generations of ancestors of ¡°the electronic sound¡± in her heart. Her voice trembled, moaning like crying instead of crying: ¡°light, painful¡­¡±


    During the day, Han Yanyan killed people liked a small tusked beast. Although she was not strong, she had a kind of fierce force. At this time she was as delicate as a flower that will wither after a shower


    Ding Yao thought of her ferocity of holding a small fruit knife to stab the man¡¯s carotid artery in the daytime. So he came into her body like the fruit knife.


    Han Yanyan originally wanted a close love, but she misjudged the enemy, and she was completely crushed. Like a happy or painful whimper faintly sounded in the shower room¡­


    Ding Yao was a man who had no pity for the women. Han Yanyan¡¯s mind flashed this idea when they were climbing to the top of the peak, and saw flashing white light.


    Han Yanyan slept lightly.


    When she once again dreamed of flying sand, walking stone, an invisible face and a pair of indifferent human eyes, she suddenly woke up with all cold sweat.


    ¡°Wake up?¡± Ding Yao was sitting by the bed and he was getting dressed.


    He won¡¯t indulge outside, Last night, they only did once, just to relax. After asleep, he was full of energy and clear-minded.


    He stood up and pulled up his pants and put on a black combat T-shirt. Then he turned and saw Han Yanyan sitting up. The towel was slipped and her white body was stained with red. The girl looked a little dazed, without the cruelty of killing, reminding him of her sobs last night.


    Ding Yao touched her face and said to her, ¡°You go on sleeping. Departure is in the afternoon¡±


    There had been a noise downstairs, and the searchers had begun to work. Ding Yao left a box of steamed buns and a can for Han Yanyan and went downstairs.


    Han Yanyan wrapped in a towel was moved to the bedside, gnawing steamed bread and meat. At the end of the age, it was an eye-watering meal.


    The dormitory was not big, the desk was under the window, and the bed was at the desk, where was easy to see the scene downstairs as if Han Yanyan stretched out her neck. Ding Yao¡¯s subordinates had broken down the machine tool. The searchers were to be coolie this time, just like the worker ant diligently carried the parts. Han Yanyan bet that most of them were working with hungry and waiting for the steamed buns at noon.


    To Han Yanyan, the steamed buns with meat in the hands became particularly precious, and its smell was also particularly fragrant. Han Yanyan thought she had now become a woman of Ding Yao through the last night. Well, at least it would have the chance to eat meat when she followed Ding Yao.


    She knew nothing of the man, and she should be dormant beside him, understanding him slowly and waiting to do something.


    He seemed pleased with her last night.


    ¡°The electronic sound¡± who lacked the virtue of eight lifetimes did not give the beauty she wanted, but it gave her an attractive body. She knew that she could seduce in the beginning. Why did she struggle so hard? She even killed people.


    It was really a bad feeling of blood on the hand, as if she was on a completely untraveled road, and she did not know the way back.


    Han Yanyan chewed down the last bite of meat and looked downstairs at the people struggling hard for a mouthful of steamed buns.


    Han Yanyan had the consciousness of being the ¡°woman of the boss¡±, she was not only to eat and live well, but also not to do physical work. She was in the room, and she didn¡¯t hang out. After all, so many stories told her that when a person hung out, it was likely that a leaking zombie would suddenly come out of the net, and it was often a particularly powerful one.


    She didn¡¯t do any trouble for herself. She came to the world instead of for survive but to take Ding Yao down.


    She reminded herself of it at every moment.

 Chapter 13.1

    Chapter 13 part 1 World One: World One: the Stronger in the End-time World (10)


    As they had expected, the Thunder team got the machine tools they wanted and the industrial materials in the storehouse, and left in the afternoon and returned smoothly to Nanling in the dark.


    The searchers got off at Shing Mun Square, turned in half of the searching supplies and hurried away in the night. The team returned to the base of the Thunder, and Han Yanyan got off with Ding Yao. She hesitated before the elevator in the lobby.


    Ding Yao lived on the top floor, and her room was on the third floor.


    Ding Yao lowered his head and lit a cigarette. He looked up from the mirror door of the elevator door and saw the hesitation in Han Yan¡¯s eyes. He put his finger on the cigarette and turned to her, said: ¡°You move into my room.¡±


    Han Yanyan nodded.


    Since then, she had officially got the status of ¡°the woman of the boss¡±.


    Ding Yao¡¯s suite was like a suite before the end-time world. The sheets and towels were brand new and clean, the cupboards were full of food, and the shower room had a full range of premium bath products.


    Ding gave back the items she had searched for. It was rarely curious for him that Han Yanyan found what stuffed two big bags in the outside, which also resulted in a man lost his life.


    Although Ding Yao was used to experience the wind and waves and secondary death in the end-time world, when he saw the bag being filled with sanitary napkins, underwear, bra, skincare products, he also could not control to move his eyes.


    What a wrongful death to that man!


    Han Yanyan returned the backpack to Qi Tongtong, who heard that she lived on the top floor, making no secret of her envy and hatred.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna pull me out of my misery.¡± She pressed Han Yanyan¡¯s shoulder, and her eyes were full of expectations, ¡°I rely on you!¡±


    ¡°I do my best.¡± Han Yanyan was super stressed out, ¡°but I can not promise.¡±


    Han Yanyan gradually exerted her charm and means as a woman on Ding Yao. In the views of outsiders, Ding Yao can be said to be infatuated with this woman. She was given the best support in life, making her look like she lived before the end of the world.


    After Ding Yao let Han Yanyan live in his suite, he didn¡¯t find another woman for two months. And Zhang Youquan finally accepted Qi Tongtong into his room. Being far from the bitter sea on the third floor, Qi Tongtong was in tears.


    ¡°He really has a crush on you. What¡¯s your unique method?¡± she whispered in Han Yanyan¡¯s ear.


    Han Yanyan laughed but didn¡¯t speak anything.


    Her unique method was the young tender body that ¡°the electronic sound¡± had prepared for her, which might attract Ding Yao.


    At the end of the age, communication had not degenerated to the roar, but the entertainment had really degenerated to relying on the hand. And the ancient city often limited electricity or water. For many people, the biggest pleasure of the evening was to make love, especially after it got cooler day by day.


    Ding Yao seemed to be in his thirties, actually, Han Yanyan didn¡¯t know how old he was, but probably because his ability, energy, and physical strength were really too strong. Sex was to him like eating and drinking.


    Every time he came back from the outside, he was especially fierce.


    Han Yanyan had red lips and white teeth, and her eyes were bright, which gave birth to a kind of inertia from her bones.


    She was forced to come here to carry out her mission because life was at stake, so she couldn¡¯t wait to make plans for herself when she first arrived. But now she thought that the strange world perhaps was out of sync with hers. The world was simply and rudely called ¡°fast-transmigration world¡±, but in the fast-migration novels she used to read, many female owners still lived in the task world even after finishing the task. They didn¡¯t return to the original world until they lived their lives and died peacefully.


    When she thought that the world might obey such rules, her first sense of urgency could not be found.


    She was carefree in food, clothing, housing and transportation, and even easier to live than when she wrote for herself. She had never found a breakthrough from Ding Yao, who was infatuated with her beauty and body, but didn¡¯t seem to fall in love with her.


    Han Yanyan was too lazy to think about it. She wanted to continue to go through like this. Maybe Ding Yao and she had been in love for a long time, and they could feel like an old married couple.


    Her inertia and luck were shattered in the heavy snow of winter.


    In the winter which was more difficult to survive, several new women came on the third floor. At the end of the age, the women who sold themselves to live were everywhere. The ones who could get into the Thunder base were all beautiful women. One of them was particularly beautiful, who was more beautiful than Han Yanyan and Qi Tongtong.


    On a snowy day, when everyone lay in the building, Ding Yao slept with that woman.

 Chapter 13.2

    Chapter 13 part 2 World One: World One: the Stronger in the End-time World (10)


    It was like a basin of cold water, which waked up the lazy Han Yanyan who was spoiled.


    Han Yanyan realized soberly that the presence of the woman threatened her status and even survival. The woman came here to understand the situation, then her target pointed to Ding Yao. She wanted to be ¡°the woman of the boss¡± just like Qi Tongtong. After Ding Yao slept with her, the men of Thunder didn¡¯t dare to touch her. They waited and saw one by one. The battle between women became the entertainment of the team members in winter. Han yanyan heard Qi Tongtong said that the men bet who will win in the end.


    Some men privately suggested to her that if she had to move out of Ding Yao¡¯s suite, they would take her over so she wouldn¡¯t end up on the third floor.


    Han Yanyan had a kick on her face. After thinking, she finally understood that only relying on a young delicate body was not able to fasten Ding Yao such a man. It was clearly too risky to expect the man to discover the bright spot of her soul by making love. In the end, Han Yanyan had to bend down and picked up the ¡°strong girl¡± characteristic which had been thrown by herself.


    When Ding Yao returned to his room this day, he saw Han Yanyan packing her bags in silence, which looked like she was leaving.


    ¡°What are you doing£¿¡± He raised his eyebrows.


    Han Yanyan said ¡°faintly¡±: ¡°let¡¯s yield my position to that woman.¡±


    Ding Yao asked, ¡°you, what?¡±


    Han Yanyan looked down, ¡°You are tired of looking at me, and don¡¯t you want to change a woman?¡±


    Men had a bad nature that they always feel happy when they saw women, especially pretty women were jealous for themselves. Even a man like Ding Yao cannot be exempted from vulgarity.


    He moved his mouth and lazily said: ¡°What are you talking about?.¡±


    Han Yanyan opened the wardrobe door, arranged her own clothes, she only took those convenient clothes into a bag, and she did not touch the beautiful but flashy clothes.


    ¡°I won¡¯t quarrel with you.¡± She deliberately avoided Ding Yao¡¯s sights and said quietly, ¡°It¡¯s sooner or later. By the way, could you give me a gun ¡­¡­¡±


    Han Yanyan did not finish saying, was picked up by Ding Yao and thrown on the bed. And Ding Yao immediately pressed up.


    ¡°Why do you want a gun?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Be on my guard.¡± Han Yanyan said, ¡°my ice cone attack is too weak; if I can have a gun, I¡¯ll be safer.¡±


    Ding Yao frowned: ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±


    ¡°Obviously. I¡¯ll leave your territory.¡± Han Yanyan paused with wide-eyed ¡°Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m going to the third floor?¡±


    Ding Yao arched his eyebrows: ¡°even you go to the third floor, there is no one will touch you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too confident. These days¡­ There are about six people who tell me if you don¡¯t want me anymore, they can take me over.¡± Han Ynayan said.


    Ding Yao¡¯s eyes flashed a touch of cold. A man who was coveted by another man for his own woman was always somewhat irritated.


    ¡°Whom do you like?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Nobody. I¡¯m going to get out of here.¡± Han Yanyan said.


    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it over at the management committee that all the new survivors can give shelter?¡± Han Yanyan said calmly.


    Ding Yao asked, ¡°What are you going to live on?¡±


    Over the past few months, Han Yanyan had been raised by Ding Yao. And this comfortable life made her inert. She didn¡¯t try to break through the limits by exercising as she did before. Although there was also exercise, the speed of ability progress was not satisfactory. She was now able to produce a few ice cones, but the attack power could not be compared to the old ice power talent, Zhang Youquan.


    In the beginning, she made ice hockey. Zhang Youquan smashed her ice hockey with a pen-sized ice cone. The aftershock even blew her palm.


    It was said Zhang had had a record of an ice arrow penetrating the skulls of twelve zombies, which was awesome in ice-system powers.


    Ding Yao gathered a lot of powerful companions around him, so the weak little power of Han Yanyan was obviously invisible.


    Han Yanyan got angry and gnawed her teeth: ¡°I go to the search team, I can support myself. Isn¡¯t that kill a zombie? What a great deal! Don¡¯t forget that I killed someone!¡±


    Ding Yao¡¯s eyesight changed slightly.


    ¡°What about the fierceness when you are killing? Why is it gone?¡± He pinched her jaw and looked indifferent. ¡°How did you become so normal?¡±


    It was like a bright light that crossed Han Yanyan¡¯s brain.


    Han Yanyan tried to push away Ding Yao, who pressed her wrist and pulled her clothes. She stared at Ding Yao, and she made four ice cones condensed above her head and attacked to Ding Yao. But those ice cones weren¡¯t fast, which had no power. As soon as it moved, it was melted by purple light and evaporated into white smoke.


    Han Yanyan clenched his lips and did not cry. She kicked him, bit him, but couldn¡¯t stop him.


    ¡°You see¡­¡± Ding Yao rubbed her body, ¡°No matter where you go, you will be so weak.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get stronger!¡± Han Yanyan grit her teeth.


    Ding Yao¡¯s eyes were getting darker, ¡°Show me then.¡±


    He clamped her jaw and bit her flushed lip¡­


    Han Yanyan woke up in the middle of the night. The soreness of the body was slightly relieved, and she tried to turn over but found the man¡¯s arm around her waist. When she moved, Ding Yao woke up.


    The man was always alert.


    The City was wet and cold in winter, Han Yanyan was a northerner, who was very unaccustomed to this unheated winter. Ding Yao¡¯s body emitted heat like a fire stove. Han Yanyan moved and rubbed into his arms. Ding Yao closed his eyes and held her in his arms and went on sleeping.


    But Han Yanyan had been opened eyes.


    She had understood what wrong with her. Ding Yao was not attracted to a canary-type woman at all. He might be infatuated with her body for a while, but soon he will be bored and went to others to find freshness. If it hadn¡¯t been for ¡°the electronic sound¡± to give her an attractive body for a man, she might have been replaced by a new woman on the third floor.


    Han Yanyan gently took a breath, knowing that she had no other way to go, she must become stronger.


    That was what Ding Yao likes.


    After a few days, Ding Yao returned to the room and did not see Han Yanyan. He had a keen intuition and immediately noticed the mistake.


    He opened the bathroom door, the bathroom covered with ice chips, and the bathtub was filled with unmelted ice cones.


    Han Yanyan fainted on the ground with her powers ran out.

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14 World One: World One: the Stronger in the End-time World (11)


    ¡°How did you do it?¡± Ding Yao asked Han Yanyan.


    Han Yanyan was puzzled.


    ¡°As we all know, after breaking through the limit, the power increases, which wasn¡¯t a secret,¡± Ding said, ¡°But not everyone can do it. The majority of people are exhausted before they touch the limit. They can¡¯t use their powers at all. You can¡¯t break the limit if you want to.¡±


    Han Yanyan was shocked to understand that this was also arranged by ¡°the electronic sound¡±. She said quietly, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I thought everyone could.¡±


    Ding Yao did not ask again on this matter, only asked the effect.


    Han Yanyan hesitated: ¡°I feel it has improved, but the attack power¡­¡± The lethality was very weak, and the attack power was not enough.


    ¡°Do you want to get stronger?¡± asked Ding Yao.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Han Yanyan stared at his eyes.


    Ding Yao lit a cigarette and looked at her and said, ¡°Next time, you go out with me.¡±


    The team was out on a regular basis to search for supplies. Sometimes the management committee would issue tasks. Like the first task, machine tools were what the management committee wanted. So that the team could get many goods from the management committee. Ding Yao was the leader of Nanling City¡¯s strongest team, which was one of the three major forces in Nanling. The relationship between the team and the management committee was good, but it was very tense with the other forces.


    That one force was the army.


    The army, in fact, was not the army of the past. Actually, the council was a former government, and the army was a former garrison nearby. After the end of the age, the government maintained the city with its orthodoxy and influence, and the troops supported it.


    But it was hard to live at the end of the world, and the hearts of the people were scattered gradually. The government also went through several infightings, and the winning party changed its name to the Nanling Management Committee, for short, the MC. By this time the army had  a different mind, purging itself and absorbing some later men. By then, the army had completely disobeyed the command of the management committee, but for the rise of Ding Yao, the army would have overturned the management committee and taken charge of its own affairs.


    The Thunder Team had many great power owners, but the army had not only many soldiers but also hot-armed. And the majority were trained in the military, and they were well-matched. The MC was in the middle of mediation, and the three-party forces were so tripartite. So the Nanling city looked steady.


    Ding Yao took Han Yanyan out with him, which was surprised the team members.


    The battle between women ended in won by Han Yanyan. Han Yanyan still lived in the suite on the top floor, and that woman on the third floor finally gave up and succumbed to other men. Ding Yao¡¯s subordinates knew that Ding Yao really liked Han Yanyan, but they didn¡¯t expect Ding Yao to go out and take her with them.


    It appeared infectious diseases in Nanling City, after Ding Yao and the MC bargaining agreement, he took people to find medicine. They had two goals, one for hospitals and another for local pharmaceutical companies that produce the drug.


    Ding Yao gave Han Yanyan a knife and threw her into the hospital.


    Both her hands were shaking as Han Yanyan emerged from the hospital alive. Ding Yao didn¡¯t give a hand, Han Yanyan met a mutant zombie, and she was on her own to survive. Her eyes changed as she walked out of the hospital alive.


    Ding Yao looked at such a Han Yanyan and smiled.


    It was still the first time for Han Yanyan to see him smile like this. The man laughed and showed his white teeth, which was very good-looking but also terrible.


    When they camped in a safe place, Ding Yao had sex with Han Yanyan, which was more intense than ever before. Han Yanyan felt that she had finally found a way to take Ding Yao down.


    When Han Yanyan followed Ding Yao back to Nanling, Qi Tongtong felt that she had changed her personality.


    Qi Tongtong advised her not to venture out. Even if Ding Yao followed her, but there always had dead. People only had one life, and accidents were too much to prevent.


    Han Yanyan just smiled and asked her, ¡°What kind of person is Ding Yao?¡±


    Qi Tongtong looked at her as if she was a fool, ¡°You asked me? You are his woman.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand him thoroughly,¡± said Han Yanyan.


    ¡°If he could be understood thoroughly by you or me, he wouldn¡¯t be Ding Yao.¡± Qi Tongtong said.


    ¡°There are hundreds of people in the whole team, all of them are powerful. Why can they all obey his orders? How many things have to be in it.¡±


    If he hadn¡¯t been there, it wouldn¡¯t be the MC now in charge of Nanling. The commander of the army was a fierce-minded man, and if no one were to crush him, the entire Nanling would be half dead.¡±


    ¡°Han Yanyan, don¡¯t you understand how powerful Ding Yao is?¡± Qi Tongtong stared at her.


    This conversation ended with Qi Tongtong¡¯s dreamy raving.


    ¡°If there¡¯s a next life, I want to be a strong person like him,¡± she said.


    Han Yanyan and Qi Tongtong were eating in the canteen of the base. They finished their talk and got up to go back. A person with hot soup rushed to them, Han Yanyan watched the person suddenly tilt forward, and the bowl of hot soup poured towards her. But Han Yanyan instinctively flashed, and the hot soup was about to splash on Qi Tongtong¡¯s face, which was close behind her.


    Qi Tongtong scared silly.


    The soup finally hit her face, but she felt it was hard and cool. Then it fell to the ground and broke into pieces of ice. Qi Tongtong opened her mouth and turned to look at Han Yanyan.


    Han Yanyan took a long breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my hands are slipping.¡± The person made a fake apology. ¡°I heard you were a powerful person, but I didn¡¯t think you were so skilled.¡±


    She was a beautiful girl, who was failed to compete with Han Yanyan for Ding Yao. Qi Tongtong had a hot temper. She wanted to tear her. But Han Yanyan held her wrist.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things you didn¡¯t expect.¡± Han Yanyan smiled.


    The girl skimmed her lips and turned to fill the soup again.


    Han Yan pulled Qi Tongtong out of the way. Qi Tongtong was angry and scolded Han Yanyan, ¡°you let me go, let me go¡­¡± Before the words were finished, something flashed on the horizon and ran to the girl¡¯s ankle.


    The girl was carrying a bowl of soup when she was caught off guard and her arm poked into the barrel of the soup.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Han Yanyan.


    Qi Tongtong could not close her mouth.


    ¡°How, how can your abilities improve so fast!¡± She was shocked.


    ¡°The desire to survive can explode your abilities.¡± Ding Yao sat by the bed, ¡°Certainly it is not for everyone. Most people can¡¯t do it, they can¡¯t explode, so ninety-nine percent are dead.¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Han Yanyan asked, ¡°How do you know I can do it?¡±


    ¡°When you killed the man, I saw it.¡± Ding Yao kissed her neck, ¡°When you first showed me your powers, it took more than a dozen seconds to make a ice ball. But then, to live, you were frozen in that man¡¯s face in an instant. You freeze the ice on his arms, and that hardness is definitely not what you showed. At that time, you have already burst.


    ¡°So it is.¡± Han Yanyan suddenly realized.


    Ding Yao moved up, while Han Yanyan was ups and downs, and her breath was messy.


    ¡°Ding Yao! Ding Yao!¡± Han Yanyan put his arm around her neck and lay on his shoulder to gasp, ¡°Can I be as strong as you?¡±


    Ding Yao stopped and looked at her. ¡°Want to get stronger?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Ding Yao laughed and his chest shook.


    ¡°Do you know when you are the most attractive?¡± He grabbed her hair and pulled it back, and he bit her lip down, ¡°it¡¯s a time when your eyes are full of survival.¡±


    It was a cold winter, in Nanling City, there were people starved to death, but Han Yanyan only remembered Ding Yao sweaty ferocious demand look.


    Sexy to death.


    In winter they did less work, and people spend most of their time hiding in buildings. Nanling city was in the south. There was no heating. But according to local people, the winter of this year was much colder than before, and they say that they have never seen such heavy snow in Nanling.


    On the day of without going out, Ding Yao pulled Han Yanyan to the training room to practice her. Actually, it was the hotel¡¯s living room, transformed into a gym by the members. There was no such thing as a treadmill, but there was a lot of regular mechanical exercise equipment. The point was someone teaching them how to use a knife.


    The members of the Thunder had guns and ammunition. But under the condition of material shortage, people preferred the cold weapon of the knife. A person¡¯s powers were limited, and physical struggles were necessary at many times. These members were people who were struggling with life and death, and they understood this better than anyone else.


    Ding Yao personally trained Han Yanyan. On the training ground, he seemed to have enemies with her, and he was unkind. Han Yanyan fell on the ground exhausted with all over the pain, but Ding Yao¡¯s indifferent eyesight could force her to get up.


    That eyesight frightened Han Yanyan.


    Clearly, this man was known to dote on her, who was infatuated with her body, and when she made some small luxury demands, he always lazily promised her, hardly let her down. But on the training ground, Han Yanyan dared not disobey him.


    When he coldly ordered her to stand up, she struggled with pain to get up.


    She later asked him if he had been in the army, but she got a negative answer.


    ¡°White-collar. Foreign trade,¡± he said.


    Han Yanyan was surprised. Because Ding Yao had a different feeling of iron and blood from others. He could not be raised without training in the military camp or the front line for some years.


    She couldn¡¯t bring Dingyao and ¡°white collar¡± together. It was like she made a persona for a character, but it¡¯s written off, and the character¡¯s words and behaviors were totally inconsistent with the persona given previously.


    Qi Tongtong occasionally saw the blue and purple bruises left by her training, and said, ¡°boss Ding is too cruel!¡±


    Han Yanyan held a cup of hot milk made from milk powder that only a few people could drink. She blew away the heat of the milk and said, ¡°I always think he¡¯s like that If you fall behind, he will never wait for you. He will leave you far behind and let yourself live and die.¡±


    Qi Tongtong silenced for a moment, said: ¡°This is similar to what sister Ling said to me at the beginning.¡±


    ¡°At that time, several people liked me. Sister Ling advised me to find someone who was sincere to me.¡± She recalled, ¡° I¡¯m always a plaything for Ding Yao, she said. In case of danger, Ding Yao will save his companion, but not his plaything. If I want to live a good life, it¡¯s better to find a man with me in mind than Ding Yao. Maybe I won¡¯t be left behind at the critical moment. Regrettably¡­ I didn¡¯t listen.¡±


    She folded her hair, ¡°I think when sister Ling said that it seemed that she was also afraid of Ding Yao. But who was not afraid of him? Everyone followed him just because they were afraid of him.¡±


    Sister Ling was Lin Ling. She was the wife of Sun Lijun. At the end of the age, people were infected with the virus; the weakest people died; the weaker people became zombies; the better people were still ordinary people, and the lucky people gained power, or strong or weak. Sun Lijun, Lin Ling, this couple both acquired a strong ability, which can be said to be very lucky.


    But in two of them, the man was a cure talent, and Lin Ling who used to be a housewife had a strong fighting power of the earth.


    The Thunder were crowded and divided into several teams. Ding Yao personally led the first team, and Lin Ling was the captain of the second team. Not only because she was strong enough, but also because this couple followed Ding Yao very early.


    When the most trusted people around Ding Yao talk about Ding Yao, they cannot help but with fear.


    Han Yanyan felt that her fear to Ding Yao perhaps was normal.

 Chapter 15

    In the spring, Han Yanyan followed Ding Yao on several missions.


    Once, she got separated from Ding Yao, she fought with two mutant zombies and saved an injured teammate. And so in her teammates¡¯ eyes, she upgraded from ¡°Ding Yao¡¯s woman¡± to a comrade.


    Everyone was surprised at the fast progress rate of her combat ability and sighed. ¡°She really is worthy of being boss Ding¡¯s woman¡±.


    Although her ice ability was not as good as Zhang Youquan, she has the ability to compete with ordinary mutants.


    Han Yanyan gradually indulged in the feelings of superiority.


    When she was still in the real world, she was just an ordinary person. The world did not give her a chance to fight and kill. Everyone lived under a circle of framework, every turnip to its hole, each had their own task and no one could go past the moral bound.


    Then this world had lost its frame, there were no more restrictions for pleasure. Of course, under the condition that you must be strong enough to chase the zombies instead of zombies chasing you.


    Killing joyously, unrestrained sex, living the life prepared for the female protagonist in the novel. Han Yanyan was a little bit in love with this world, and almost forgot what she was here for.


    In a blink of an eye, a large number of refugees came from the south. Nanling people knew that in spring, tsunamis would occur in the coastal area. The sea water would pour into the city and the coastline would approach inland. As the living fled inland, so did the zombies. There were refugees who had been in a certain settlement before and those settlements were destroyed in the zombie tide.


    Rumors of ¡°mutant zombies getting stronger¡± spread amongst the survivors.


    At the same time, with the surge in the number of survivors, supplies were rapidly strained. The competition for resources and materials between big and small forces of all sides had become fierce. There had been serious bloodshed on several sides. The atmosphere of the whole Nanling city was grim.


    Among them, the conflict between Thunder and the military was the most intense. When the army becomes a bandit, you can¡¯t measure their bottom line. Ding Yao encountered sniping in the Nanling city.


    None of the people who were with him at the time knew how he escaped the bullet. In short, Ding Yao was safe and sound, but the atmosphere in Nanling city was at its worst.


    Ding Yao didn¡¯t go on a mission for a period of time. He wanted to stay in Nanling city and bring out those who wanted to kill him. Han Yanyan needed more training and polishing, so she followed Lin Ling¡¯s second team to search for supplies.


    Lin Ling was a simple and honest woman, and Sun Lijun was her husband. In the past, the couple ran a small shop together, which was said to be outside the Ding Yao¡¯s community. While they were doing small business, they helped their daughter-in-law and their granddaughter who worked in the city. At the start of the apocalypse, her daughter and her son-in-law died, and so did her granddaughter. The two, husband and wife, unexpectedly become strong, one can fight and the other can cure.


    Soon after the start of the apocalypse, they met Ding Yao. At that time, their abilities had just activated, they were still confused and unable to use them. When they met the zombies, they panicked. It was Ding Yao who saved them.


    ¡°You have a much better sense of fighting than me.¡± Lin Ling sighed, ¡°I panicked during that time. I was confused when I saw the zombie. You are lucky. If you go up there, don¡¯t say a word. It¡¯s generous of the boss; you are worthy to accept his teaching.¡±


    Lin Ling was really an honest woman. She herself was a powerful mutant, but she doesn¡¯t look down on Qi Tongtong like other female mutants.


    ¡°All of those women are like flowers. They were no less than my daughter. If it were not for this world, who would have put down their face to do this? It¡¯s not easy.¡± She said.


    Han Yanyan heard from Qi Tongtong that there were many men in the team. It was inevitable that some people had some special hobbies or were too violent. Lin Ling became like a mother for the girls on the third floor as she saved them several times.


    She was a simple, honest and rustic woman. Even though she was an earth mutant, she¡¯s really powerful. She slapped her hands on the wall of the corridor. The hard cement listened to her orders like plastic and trapped the male mutants who were challenging her like a coffin. If Lin Ling was more ruthless, she could¡¯ve buried people alive.


    She just doesn¡¯t do it, but she has the ability to do so.


    Later, none of them dared to go too far with the girls on the third floor. When the girls on the third floor met Sun Lijun, they called him ¡°Brother Sun¡±. They would make a joke or two with him, but in fact, all the girls consciously kept away from him. No one was going to touch Lin Ling¡¯s husband.


    Han Yanyan likes Lin Ling very much. Not quite like Qi Tongtong, although she also likes Qi Tongtong, she just liked her for no reason. It¡¯s like an indescribable fate.


    Facing Lin Ling¡¯s compliment, she just smiled and stayed silent.


    Combat skills can be taught, and combat awareness was innate. Lin Ling speculated the reversed cause and effect. Ding Yao liked to teach her because she had a good sense of fighting. But for him, becoming an obedient canary was far less attractive than to be a strong one.


    Han Yanyan gritted her teeth and strongly clenched her hands until her veins were visible.


    This time, they went deeper into the field to search for supplies. They met a lot of scavengers, and more zombies.


    Mutant zombies were really getting stronger, like they were evolving. Lin Ling and her team members were shocked to a certain extent. Han Yanyan was not quite surprised.


    The evolution of zombies in the apocalypse was like the universal setting of the zombie apocalypse genre.


    Han Yanyan was completely immersed in her survival mode. In the battle, her ice cone finally evolved into an ice arrow, penetrating the heads of four zombies at a time.


    When the four zombies fell down at the same time, Han Yanyan took a long breath and felt comfortable. When she was ready to kill another group of zombies with a mountain knife, those zombies suddenly stopped.


    Everything around her has frozen, and the sound of fighting in other areas that could have been heard has disappeared. There were no sounds of insects or a wind.


    It¡¯s like the world has frozen.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s pupils had shrunk, holding a knife and standing in place, her whole body became tense and alert.


    ¡°Han Yanyan!¡± There¡¯s a voice. This voice was very familiar to Han Yanyan for she didn¡¯t want to hear it -this robotic sound.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s feelings of wholeheartedly immersing herself in this world were suddenly cut-off because of the ear-piercing sound. She seemed to have been cut-off from this world, soberly aware that she was not part of this world.


    ¡°Han Yanyan, I¡¯m here to remind you.¡± The tone of the robotic voice was a little cold. ¡°You should not be too involved and forget what you are here for.¡±


    Han Yanyan tried to calm down: ¡°How is this possible?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve seen so many newbies like you. When they first entered this world, they couldn¡¯t tell the difference between reality¡­ Sigh. I¡¯ve seen those idiots who want to live a lifetime in this world.¡± The robotic voice threatened. ¡°These people have been punished as they deserve. Han Yanyan, don¡¯t become such a fool.¡±


    Han Yanyan¡¯s face was calm, but in fact, her back was drenched with cold sweat.


    If the robotic sound did not appear suddenly today, she might have lived in this world passionately, completely forgetting that her life was hanging on its hands, just like those ¡°fools¡± mentioned by the robotic sound.


    ¡°I will not.¡± She looked down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I believe you.¡± The robotic sound said with satisfaction. ¡°You are still in good progress, but it is not enough, you need to increase your efforts.¡±


    ¡°I will try my best. Please rest assured. But¡­ ¡± Han Yanyan said, ¡°Can you make my ability stronger? Which could save a lot of time?¡±


    The robotic voice said a little strained, ¡°This is not necessary. What should you do or how you do it? Just do it step by step.¡± Then he said, ¡°Are there any more questions? If not, I will close the communication.¡±


    Han Yanyan asked, ¡°Are you not in this world?¡±


    ¡°I was monitoring the whole time.¡± Robotic sound said.


    Was it not here? Han Yanyan thought. She really had a question to ask, ¡°I want to know. What if I die in this world?¡±


    This world was filled with parting of life and death. Han Yanyan had thought of this problem for a long time.


    The robotic voice was furious: ¡°You be careful! If you dare to die, I will really let you die!¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just a hypothesis. I just want to know, what if I die here.¡± Han Yanyan said, ¡°As you can see, this is such an environment.¡±


    The robotic voice hummed and said, ¡°No, you died last time.¡±


    Han Yanyan said suddenly: ¡°I would be able to return there, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! Is there anything else to ask? If not, I¡¯ll cut off the communication!¡± The robotic voice was a little anxious.


    Han Yanyan certainly has too many questions to ask, but she knows that the robotic voice would not give her answers at all. She wouldn¡¯t waste her effort, she directly said: ¡°No more.¡±


    ¡°You do your job well! Try to finish the task as soon as possible!¡± The robotic voice threatened her. ¡°Don¡¯t try to slack off, I¡¯m monitoring you!¡±


    ¡°Is my private life monitored?¡± Han Yanyan asked abruptly.


    At present, everything was still and the world was frozen, which shows that the robotic sound was detached from this world. It should be looking towards the world and Han Yanyan in a God¡¯s view. The robotic voice petrified her even more that it was monitoring her, but Han Yanyan didn¡¯t ask any more questions.


    The robotic voice choked and said angrily, ¡°what¡¯s so good to look at it? I don¡¯t have that kind of hobby.¡±


    It angrily replied. Then cut off the communication.


    The world suddenly returned to normal. Everything that was still suddenly began to move.


    Five zombies rushed towards her. Three ice arrows congealed in front of Han Yanyan¡¯s body, shot out quickly and pierced the heads of three zombies. The two zombies who missed the arrows rushed towards her again. Han Yanyan kicked the one in front of her with one foot in its chest. The mountain knife cut off the other¡¯s head and cut off its neck with another knife. Han Yanyan didn¡¯t stop. She sped up and chopped off the head of the one she had kicked before, so that it could only die again.


    She wiped her knife on the zombie, thinking about her conversation with the robotic voice.


    She wants to directly evolve her powers up, but the robotic voice said. ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Is it really unnecessary or it can¡¯t?


    One more thing, Han Yanyan came to this world last summer, and now it¡¯s summer again, almost a year has passed. For such a long time, the robotic voice had never contacted her. In the conversation just now, Han Yanyan was very sure that the robotic sound could not enter this world in person. But why did it not contact her for such a long time and suddenly contacted her today?


    Was today any different from before?


    Han Yanyan, immersed in her thoughts, did not notice that in the ceiling, there were two zombies crawling like geckos.


    Until they come down.

 Chapter 16.1

    It was a fierce fight, and with her companions elsewhere, there was no one there to help her.


    Han Yanyan fought to the point of exhaustion. Physically overdrawn, her powers spent, she finally managed to kill the two mutant zombies before her. More poured into the building. She lay there immobile on the ground, the aftereffects of her overuse of power making her body hurt right down to her fingertips.


    She watched the zombie horde pour in. With the last of her strength, she built herself an ice coffin over her body before fainting.


    When she woke up, she was in a car with Lin Ling by her side. This particular car was an RV within the motorcade. It had mostly been torn down in order to make room for goods, but it still possessed a bed and chair. Lin Ling had placed her on the bed.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡± she breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°If you were dead, what would I tell Boss Ding?¡±


    Since Han Yanyan had woken, that meant that she was almost recovered. But during this trip, she had once again heard the robotic voice and broken away from the feelings she had been immersed in. When she looked at Lin Ling, she felt somewhat detached from her.


    And that included her feelings toward Ding Yao.


    Han Yanyan was slightly shocked. Perhaps she had been a little in love with him.


    In this world where one might live or die the next day, to not fall in love with such a strong and handsome man was¡­ a bit difficult.


    ¡°Sister Ling, if I had died¡­¡± she paused, ¡°Would Ding Yao even care?¡±


    Lin Ling froze.


    After a moment of silence, she sighed. ¡°He is a hard-hearted man. In our current world, we need men like him. But when you get to my age, you¡¯ll understand that for us women, it isn¡¯t a good thing for a man to be ruthless.¡±


    She was silent for a long time before continuing. ¡°My family and I were one of the first to follow him. I remember when he was still wearing a suit and a white shirt. In the past, a man who looked like a white-collar worker would spend his time sitting in the office, and would never call out to people like us. But at that time, his white shirt was  blood red. ¡±


    ¡°Where did all that blood come from? Zombies don¡¯t bleed,¡± Lin Ling murmured, lost in memory.


    ¡°Now I¡¯ve killed too. Our entire family, from young to old, has killed. We¡¯re all used to having blood on our hands. But at that time¡­ Boss Ding, though he looked young, was truly cruel. He told us that if we didn¡¯t kill first, then we would most certainly be killed when others came to steal our food. He forced us to murder. At that time, we were not yet strong in our own powers. We were nervous and flustered, we had no leader. Boss Ding told us that if we did not dare to work, then he would leave us behind. It would be easier for him to survive alone without us dragging him down.¡±


    Lin Ling didn¡¯t say outright that she was afraid of Ding Yao. But like Qi Tongtong, Han Yanyan recognized her fear of Ding Yao from her words and expressions. This fierce and extraordinary middle-aged woman was afraid of Ding Yao in her bones.


    Han Yanyan understood.


    Though Ding Yao¡¯s face looked young, and in appearance he seemed about thirty, his eyes looked old; deep and unfathomable.


    You looked at him and didn¡¯t understand him, so it was natural that you would be afraid of him, even if he was the man who shared your bed at night.


    The car fell silent. Neither Lin Ling nor Han Yanyan wanted to pursue the topic further.


    After a while, Han Yanyan asked suddenly, ¡°Sister Ling, do I seem different to you today?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Lin Ling didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Han Yanyan tried to figure out how to word her question. ¡°I feel like something¡¯s different today, or with myself, or with what happened today. Anyway, there is definitely something odd about today, I feel it very strongly, but I can¡¯t quite put my finger on it. Can you think of anything?¡±


    Lin Ling nodded, thought carefully, and then suddenly laughed.


    ¡°Oh you, Yanyan,¡± she smiled. ¡°Do you¡­ miss Boss Ding?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Han Yanyan was dumbfounded.


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time you¡¯ve been separated from Boss Ding for so long, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lin Ling asked.


    A light went off in Han Yanyan¡¯s mind.


    Although Lin Ling was afraid of him, Ding Yao was now Han Yanyan¡¯s man, and Lin Ling hoped that they would do well together. She began chattering about how to get along well with one¡¯s significant other.


    Han Yanyan didn¡¯t hear anything at all. She felt that Lin Ling was probably right on the money.


    Han Yanyan had met Ding Yao as soon as she came into this world. This mission was the first time they had been separated for a long period of time.


    And the robotic voice, which had been silent for a year, had reappeared today.

 Chapter 16.2

    Lin Ling¡¯s team had ventured out very far this time, nearly two and a half days each way. But before they were to the halfway point of the return journey, they ran into a great wave of refugees surging in their direction.


    Nanling had been breached. Though the city walls were able to resist ordinary zombies, they couldn¡¯t stand up against mutants, and once those mutants had broken through the line of defense, the zombie tide had poured into the ancient city of Nanling.


    The settlement of tens of thousands fell apart. Factional disputes and group conflicts became irrelevant, and resources became unimportant. Before the tidal wave of zombies, the top priority was survival.


    The team members under Lin Ling were hesitant to return. Now that Nanling city had collapsed, was there even anything to return to? Even Lin Ling was overwhelmed.


    But Han Yanyan asserted, ¡°Ding Yao will not die.¡±


    That woke them up. Indeed, if anyone could survive, it would be Ding Yao. They looked at each other before following Lin Ling  back against the current of the crowds. Halfway, to their great relief, they ran into the retreating Thunder team.


    A lot of men had been lost, which was to be expected. And Ding Yao was injured, to everyone¡¯s surprise.


    Those with super powers had retreated behind the ordinary people. Anyone left behind in Nanling likely had not survived.


    Upon joining up with their companions, Lin Ling¡¯s team heard about the horrors that had occurred when the zombie tide hit the city. These people were the strong ones, to whom killing zombies was a part of their daily life, and even to them the stories were concerning.


    ¡°¡­ the boss was injured, but it was also hurt. It ran away.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s intelligent, and other zombies must be obeying its commands. There¡¯s no other explanation for it. ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a nightmare¡­¡±


    They called the zombie which had wounded Ding Yao a ¡®corpse emperor¡¯.


    Ding Yao had been separated from Sun Lijun when he was injured, but they had later met up again on the road, and Sun Lijun had healed him then. But he had lost a lot of blood. He was the weakest Han Yanyan had ever seen him.


    Thunder had not been hit as hard as it could have been. Though they had lost manpower, the members with space powers who acted as ¡°mobile warehouses¡± were mostly safe and sound, meaning that most of their resources were intact.


    In fact, Ding Yao himself carried the majority of the resources in his own spatial dimension. The spatial powers had a general estimate of each other¡¯s capacity, but not his. Who knew how much Ding Yao had in his reserves?


    But that made following him even more reassuring.


    As they were setting up camp, Han Yanyan walked around before inquiring, ¡°Where is Zhang Youquan?¡±


    Ding Yao turned to face her. ¡°Dead.¡±


    For a moment, she was silent.


    Qi Tongtong was nowhere in sight. A few women had escaped alongside them, but most of them had disappeared. Han Yanyan had hoped that Zhang Youquan had protected Qi Tongtong, but if he himself was dead, then there was no hope for her.


    There was no time to grieve. Forced by the tide of zombies, the survivors moved northward on a massive scale, most of them carrying only the clothes on their backs.


    The food situation had never been more tense. Even though the team had supplies, the road ahead was unknown and they couldn¡¯t just sit still. Up ahead, the struggle for supplies had become extremely fierce, and from time to time bloody conflicts would occurred. The people had escaped from Nanling and survived the zombie tide, yet died in the hands of the living.


    Meanwhile the dark of night overflowed with the sounds of men and women. No one knew if tomorrow might be their last. Every night was the final chance to make merry, the last madness before death.


    Unlike the others, however, Ding Yao had refrained from sleeping with Han Yanyan these past few days. For him at this time, her value as a superhuman was far greater than her value as a woman.


    After many internal discussions and disputes, the decision was made to move the team to the northwest. There lay a city named Xijing, also an ancient city with a long history and a far greater city wall than Nanling. It was a good choice for a new settlement.


    As most of the ordinary people had no goal in mind, a good many decided to follow the Thunder team to Xijing upon hearing the news.


    The final remnants of the military faction bowed their heads to Ding Yao. Their leader had died in the zombie tide. During the retreat, they had not had the time to retrieve much ammunition, and neither had they been able to move the military workshops. An army without the advantage of firearms might fair decently against an army of ordinary zombies, but not in the face of mutants. These strong men weighed their odds and finally took refuge with Ding Yao.


    One night, 50 to 60-odd mutants made a surprise attack upon the camp. Han Yanyan had never before seen so many mutants in one place.


    The power of Thunder shone that night, and when a bloody battle was over, there were less than ten mutants left. Then a scream resounded in the distance like a signal, and the few remaining mutants all retreated.


    Under the starlight for everyone to see was the zombie that had let out the scream. It stood on a distant roof. Unlike the others covered in carrion, its body was all in one piece and shone with a blue luster.


    The mutant zombies that made men with superpowers tremble were driven before it like cattle. It stood on the far roof, staring at Ding Yao.


    Han Yanyan had heard that when the zombie tide breached Nanling City, every monster in the tide had acted as one. It was only Ding Yao seriously injuring the corpse emperor and depriving them of their commander-in-chief that had returned them to a headless mob and allowed the human side to retreat in safety.


    This was her first time seeing the corpse emperor. No matter how many times she had read about it in post-apocalyptic novels or seen it in horror movies, nothing compared to seeing it with her own eyes. A chill ran up her spine.


    But at the same time, an idea bloomed in the depths of her mind.


    She had come here not to survive, but for the sake of capturing Ding Yao.


    And now in her heart, Han Yanyan formed a plan to move his.


    I¡¯m thinking I¡¯ll update every Sunday-ish, so enjoy this early update!


    It¡¯s an interesting experience jumping back and forth between translating different authors with very different writing styles. This author is easier for me to understand (short, simple sentences and almost no idioms), but harder for me to phrase well in English because those short sentences don¡¯t flow as well when literally translated.

 Chapter 17.1

    The team moved westward. As they passed a smaller city, searchers went deep within to search for resources. Ever since entering the city, however, Han Yanyan noticed that Ding Yao had been looking in a certain direction.


    He was obviously familiar with the city and directed the motorcade to several big shopping malls to collect materials. Then he directed them to a residential area.


    Han Yanyan followed him into a building and climbed the stairs to the 19th floor. Ding Yao seemed to know the way well. The door to the apartment on the 19th floor was locked ¨C he touched his trouser pocket, then paused and kicked the door open.


    The apartment within was a two-bedroom, decorated tastefully in a masculine style. It was fairly tidy, so the owner must not have been very flustered when he left.


    Ding Yao stood in the living room for a while and then went to the bedroom. Standing before the enormous bay windows of the bedroom, he lit a cigarette.


    Han Yanyan stood outside the bedroom door and watched his back. As if suddenly realizing something, she said, ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°My home,¡± Ding Yao answered.


    As I thought.


    Han Yanyan did not leave, nor did she come forward. She gave Ding Yao space. He finished smoking his cigarette as he looked out the window, then threw the butt onto the solid wood floor and twisted it out with his foot, seemingly not caring at all.


    ¡°Come here,¡± he said.


    Han Yanyan walked over. He pointed to something in the distance. ¡°Do you see that skyscraper over there, the tallest one?¡±


    She squinted. ¡°That one?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s in the most prosperous part of the city and takes no more than half an hour to get there from here. It¡¯s considered the best office building in the city,¡± he told her. ¡°I worked in a cubicle on the 31st floor. I had just been promoted to department director at the time¡­¡±


    Han Yanyan wanted to hear what came after, but Ding Yao¡¯s words came to an abrupt end. She waited a moment, then turned to look at him. His gaze had returned to the towering skyscraper in the distance, and his eyes, when she looked in them, were deep and serene and unfathomable.


    She couldn¡¯t help but touch his hand and whisper, ¡°¡­what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my own past¡­¡± Ding Yao was silent for a long time, staring at the distant office building. ¡°But it feels like someone else¡¯s life.¡±


    He took her and asked, ¡°Have you ever felt this way?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What way? ¡± Han Yanyan asked, puzzled.


    ¡°As if¡­ you¡¯re trapped?¡± Ding Yao said. He looked her in the eye, as if seriously seeking an answer.


    She looked back, startled.


    Ding Yao saw her expression, and his eyes flashed with disappointment. He let go of her hand and gave up asking her for answers. Instead, he turned his head to look back out the window  at the silent skyline and the dead city, his eyes deep and quiet. Looking into the distance meditatively, he muttered to himself, ¡°It feels like my whole life¡­ nothing is somehow quite right.¡±


    Having said that, Ding Yao was silent for a moment before turning to leave. Then out of nowhere, Han Yanyan grabbed his hand.


    Ding Yao looked back at her, frowning a little.


    Han Yanyan took a deep breath. ¡°Do you feel¡­ trapped by this world?¡±


    Ding Yao felt like he was trapped, but Han Yanyan actually knew that she was, and that she might die if she didn¡¯t finish this task.


    She looked at him and couldn¡¯t help but wonder, But what about Ding Yao? Is he truly a native of this world? But if so, then why was he her mission target? If it hadn¡¯t been for¡­


    Han Yanyan saw a clear flash of light in his eyes.


    ¡°Why do you say so?¡± he approached.


    She dared not say.


    Her life hung in the balance. Even if Ding Yao was a stranger trapped here like her, even if the robotic voice might be plotting against him, Han Yanyan couldn¡¯t tell him the truth.


    She bit her lip and said, ¡°I often feel that like I don¡¯t belong to this world, as if everything around me is false. But if I¡¯m in a dream, then the dream is too realistic, reminding me that this can¡¯t be a dream, that this world is real.¡±


    Ding Yao listened carefully to every word.


    He brought his hand to her face, then bowed his head to kiss her lips. ¡°Me too.¡±


    Ever since that day when the corpse emperor appeared, there had been a constant barrage of mutants out to kill them. They hadn¡¯t had sex for a long time. Here in his own home, Ding Yao felt a sudden surge of desire. He reached out and picked her up¡­


    Han Yanyan knelt on the deep windowsill, her hands pressed against the glass. The heat generated by their bodies covered it with a layer of fog. Behind, Ding Yao slammed forward into her, and her hand slipped.


    Through the clear patch on the window, Han Yanyan looked out on the city. Zombies moved stiffly through the streets, and scavengers dug about like rats. Superhumans battled against mutants, causing houses to explode or collapse. All around them, the weak ran and hid.


    What a ridiculous world. This was the world trapping her and Ding Yao. To end all of this, Han Yanyan thought, all she had to do was to complete her task. She had already figured out how.


    Ding Yao pulled out at the last second. Not getting a woman pregnant was a man¡¯s last kindness in this mad world. Han Yanyan¡¯s body felt empty, and so did her heart.


    She had no regrets for having invested her true feelings into this world. She only agonized over the unknown that would come after everything was over.


    Over the next period of time, Han Yanyan¡¯s powers grew rapidly.


    Though the Corpse Emperor never showed up again, its pursuit of Ding Yao meant that they were constantly under attack by mutants. Such high-intensity battle stimulated the growth of her abilities constantly.


    By the time the autumn leaves turned yellow, Han Yanyan had taken the place of the former Zhang Youquan as the most powerful ice wielder in the team.


    Ding Yao witnessed her changes with his own eyes. Only he knew that no matter how hard the battle she experienced during the day, so long as the camp was safe she would use her powers every night until she hit her limit.


    He looked on as her fingers trembled with the pain in her body and brain. He saw with his own eyes her face like paper and her weak breath as she slid into a deep coma. He picked up her hand. It was fair and slender, but it had lost the temperature of the human body due to having condensed too much ice.


    While she lay there comatose, Ding Yao held her hand and watched her.


    The next day, Han Yanyan woke up in his arms. She did not move, but merely leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes once more¡­


    Han Yanyan sure thinks about some morbid stuff while in the thick of things. ???? Enjoy this next one! We¡¯re near the climax (ha) of this world so I¡¯m pretty excited.


    This week I once again tried my hand (eye?) at reading Anathem. My fianc¨¦ likes Neal Stephenson very much and recommended it to me.


    And I have to say¡­ I just cannot. My eyes glaze over. I like the idea of monks vs. aliens very much, and I¡¯ve always thought that I enjoyed doorstopper novels, but the dude is just sooo long-winded and half the novel is words I don¡¯t understand. It¡¯s like learning a whole new language. If I¡¯m learning a new language I might as well translate another chapter!

 Chapter 17.2

    The mutant zombies had been getting stronger and stronger over time. Like a river, they seemed to stream in, never seeming to ebb or dry up. No matter how many were killed, there always seemed to be more.


    Would they reach Xijing in safety? Would the corpse emperor and its horde follow them there? That was the question on everyone¡¯s mind.


    They found drones and other related equipment in the commercial section of a passing city and flew a number back in the direction of the horde, equipped with cameras. Though they were eventually destroyed, the drones afforded them a picture of the rear.


    The truth was enough to make anyone despair.


    The corpse emperor had been driving the horde of zombies after them, but their speed had been dragged down by the stiff movements of the ordinary zombies. But it had a glut of zombies at its disposal, and the corpse emperor had been manipulating them to devour each other, producing stronger and stronger mutants.


    From the videos sent back by the drones, they suspected that a second corpse emperor had likely been born.


    The corpse emperor is chasing Ding Yao. This rumor spread quietly through the crowd.


    First the ordinary people left the migration, then the soldiers and superpowers. But when those who had left came back as zombies, they no longer dared to flee.


    No matter what anyone else thought or did, Han Yanyan remained with Ding Yao. The beautiful dark-haired, clear-eyed girl seemed to know no hesitation. She stood firmly by his side, fighting shoulder to shoulder.


    When Ding Yao turned to look at her, he sometimes saw Han Yanyan staring in the direction of the corpse emperor, and couldn¡¯t help but wonder what she was thinking about.


    It was around 1100 kilometers from Nanling to Xijing. It used to be a two day drive, three days at the most. But in the last days of the apocalypse, roads were blocked or collapsed. The team had walk, searching for supplies, fending off the zombies everywhere. Finding gasoline was a pipe dream. The migration took them five months.


    In the course of the journey from Nanling, Ding Yao¡¯s team lost a third of their members. Countless people died, and most became zombies.


    But Xijing finally arrived on the horizon, and the people found hope.


    Yet hope is the easiest thing to shatter. In half the year, the zombie tide caught up to them, and the Xijing base fell.


    People fell into despair, and the prevailing thought became that it was safer not to move in large groups for fear of attracting zombies. Survivors began to disperse, like groups of mice, wandering around in search of a hiding place.


    Even Ding Yao and his Thunder team couldn¡¯t stay somewhere for long. The corpse emperor always seemed to know where they were.


    This life went on for over a year, and Han Yanyan became powerful. The sight of her fighting back to back with Ding Yao left a deep impression, and the two of them were almost never separated, as if they were one. When one mentioned Ding Yao, one thought of Han Yanyan, and when you spoke of Han Yanyan, you couldn¡¯t not bring up Ding Yao.


    Han Yanyan could feel that his gaze had changed a little in the past two years. But it wasn¡¯t enough. For her to achieve her goals, it wasn¡¯t enough. Han Yanyan needed a heavy blow to reach Ding Yao¡¯s heart.


    And that opportunity finally arrived.


    The formidable opponent that was the corpse emperor had created three others just like itself. Behind the mutant army that made superpowers tremble, they appeared as if from nightmares.


    Han Yanyan had been waiting a long time for this day.


    The robotic voice had thrown her into the world and ordered her to make Ding Yao fall in love with her. Completely by accident, Han Yanyan had let him into her heart, but what she didn¡¯t know was whether or not she had managed to worm her way into his. But the robotic voice had been silent ever since that one time when she had been far away from Ding Yao. Since there was no news, Han Yanyan figured that her ultimate goal had not yet been achieved.


    Ever since then she had been contemplating what to do next. Then by chance, the corpse emperor appeared.


    Many of the laws of this world were rather similar to the post-apocalyptic zombie stories Han Yanyan had previously written or read, so she made a bold guess that the corpse emperor would become stronger and stronger, or more and more of them would be born. One of them bore a grudge against Ding Yao, who had seriously injured it, and was bound to come for revenge sooner or later. She could only imagine that when it did reappear, it would be extremely powerful. She wasn¡¯t sure if it would be strong enough to kill Ding Yao, but would certainly be strong enough to threaten his life.


    That was good enough.


    Han Yanyan decided that she would die for Ding Yao.


    Every since the robotic voice had reappeared, she had repeatedly gone over the tasks, requirements and restrictions it had given to her before she had entered this world. She found that it had only asked for Ding Yao to ¡°fall in love¡± with her. Outside of that, there were almost no restrictions.


    Ding Yao was a powerful and cold-blooded man. Han Yanyan had no confidence in making him fall in love with her by simply marking time. She decided that some drama was necessary.


    What is the most precious thing a woman can own? Not beauty, nor strength, nor even virginity.


    It was life.


    A woman who loved a man so much that she was willing to give her life for him. Even if the man¡¯s heart was cast with molten iron, surely there would be a moment of shock and distress?


    Ding Yao only needed to fall in love with her for a second. After that second was over, he would die with her. According to the rules the robotic voice had laid down, the moment this second occurred, she would have completed the task.


    And there was a little of Han Yanyan¡¯s own selfishness in this decision as well.


    She had made it all this way with Ding Yao. If the task couldn¡¯t be completed, they would be trapped in this world, and her real body might lose its life. But if she completed the task, then what sort of situation would they face next? Would they meet again? Could they be together?


    According to what she knew of the robotic voice and her own intuition¡­ probably not.


    If so, then Han Yanyan wanted Ding Yao to remember her forever.


    Forever.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s opportunity finally came.


    Three corpse emperors besieged Ding Yao, each one stronger than the original one that he had first met.


    When one of them broke through Ding Yao¡¯s lightning net and launched himself at Ding Yao like an arrow, Han Yanyan released an ice shield to block the mutants that had besieged her. She, too, rushed to Ding Yao like an arrow loosed from a bow, to the ground between him and the corpse emperor, preparing to block the blow with her own body and to capture him through the sacrifice of her own life.


    But that very moment, the fourth corpse emperor appeared! The corpse emperors were nearly as intelligent as humans and even more cunning and treacherous. It had been hiding amongst the ordinary zombies, waiting to deliver the fatal blow to Ding Yao, that human powerhouse.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s pupils shrank.


    It was over! Ding Yao would die, this ¡°Han Yanyan¡± would die, the task would fail, and the real her¡­ would die!


    At her most desperate moment, she felt space warp around her body. The next moment, she appeared in front of Ding Yao.


    Struck by lightning, the third corpse emperor hurriedly retreated back. And the claws of the fourth¡­ pierced Han Yanyan¡¯s chest.


    Ding Yao was once attacked in Nanling. No one knows how he had escaped that bullet.


    But now Han Yanyan knew. His power over space had evolved into the power to distort it. He had teleported the bullet shot at him somewhere else, just like he had teleported her from a safe distance away¡­ to right in front of him.


    Han Yanyan seemed to hear him breathing, and the back of her neck prickled with the heat coming from his nose and mouth. It was a familiar feeling. In the height of passion, when their limbs were entangled and he kissed her from behind; it was exactly this slightly tingling, itching feeling.


    She couldn¡¯t see Ding Yao at her back, only the grim, inhuman, blue face of the corpse emperor before her. Its rocky arms and keen claws penetrated her chest and tore out her heart.


    It was a chill and frigid winter.


    Han Yanyan, her chest cold, fell into darkness.


    :O plot twist


    I actually happen to like this particular turn of events very much. This sort of shit really only ever happens to cannon fodder in most novels. You always see it in ¡®survival game¡¯ genre LNs where lovers sacrifice each other to survive, but the real CP would never do that!


    This novel is labeled ¡®tragedy¡¯, and it¡¯s definitely bittersweet, but as far as I¡¯m concerned the real tragedy here is the demise of the perfect, romantic, faithful ML who follows you from world to world, haha.


    Tell me how you feel in the comments!

 Chapter 18.1

    Han Yanyan opened her eyes in a pure white space.


    All of a sudden, her face lost its color, her knees became soft, and she knelt on the ground, clutching her heart. But there was no gaping, bloody hole in the body that had been clawed open, and her heart was beating strong and healthy in her chest. She was safe and well in this pure white space.


    Panting heavily, Han Yanyan stood slowly from the ground. ¡°Ding Yao, Ding Yao¡­ Ding Yao!¡± She chanted the name, her eyes reddened and her teeth clenched. ¡°You! Fucking! Bastard!¡±


    If there had been a table or something in front of her right then, she would have kicked it over. But this pure white space, except for the floor she was standing on, had neither walls nor ceilings, and it seemed boundless. The anger and hatred in her body entangled her, but there was nothing for her to vent it on. She wanted to explode.


    Han Yanyan could only pull at her hair violently and turn around where she stood. If you had given her a chance to return to the zombie apocalypse right then, she would not have hesitated to muster up her strongest strike and kill Ding Yao in one blow!


    That fucking bastard!


    To have entered with a mission, but then developed genuine feelings for that world, to have devoted herself to that person¡­ Han Yanyan had once felt that she would never regret it. Now she really wanted to drag her stupid, sincere self out and beat her up.


    Nothing could have been more laughable than this. She had decided to die for him, but before she could do so, he had used her as a meat shield.


    Han Yanyan felt as though she was about to explode. She stood in the white space, clenched her fists, closed her eyes, and screamed with all her might. She was so angry, so angry!


    ¡°Han Yanyan, calm down! Calm down!¡± It was the robotic voice.


    The sound of the synthesized voice brought her back to her senses. She remembered that she wasn¡¯t a person from that world, after all. She had her own life in her own world, and that life was still in the hands of this goddamned ghost-thing.


    She forced herself to breathe in slowly, clenched her fists, and waited for the robotic voice to punish her.


    Who could she blame? This who-the-hell-knows-what-it-is robotic voice that held the power of life and death over her? Should she blame Ding Yao for having been too charming? At the end of the day, the only one she could blame was herself, for having been a fool. Clearly, it was a ¡®quick transmigration world¡¯; clearly, she had been set a mission; yet somehow she had gotten stuck with such true and heartfelt feelings.


    Idiot!


    When it came down to life and death, Ding Yao¡¯s actions proved that he hadn¡¯t really fallen in love with her at all. She had failed her mission. According to what the robotic voice had said before, she should be thrown out to die.


    Han Yanyan closed her eyes and waited for death.


    She waited¡­ then the robotic voice sounded again, saying, ¡°Calm down, you did a great job! I wasn¡¯t mistaken when I chose you. You really have potential as an architect!¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Han Yanyan opened her eyes in astonishment.


    ¡°I said, you did a great job,¡± the robotic voice repeated. It even sounded a little jubilant to Han Yanyan¡¯s ears.


    ¡°But Ding Yao didn¡¯t fall in love with me,¡± she said.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± said the robotic voice. ¡°Whether he loves you or not doesn¡¯t matter.  It¡¯s just a means to an end. So long as you achieve my goal, I don¡¯t care one way or the other whether he hates you or loves you.¡±


    Han Yanyan was silent for a while before she asked, ¡°What exactly is your purpose? What do you want from this world, and what do you get from achieving the mission goals?¡±


    The robotic voice immediately chilled. ¡°That isn¡¯t something you need to care about. You ought to be more concerned about how to save yourself. Remember, your life is in my hands.¡±


    She rephrased her question. ¡°Well, then, what exactly does it mean to have completed a task? You have to explain it to me, or how will I know what to do when I¡¯m just muddling my way through?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± The robotic voice wavered, ¡°That¡­ depends on the specific situation. Every world is different. It¡¯s ¡®quick transmigration¡¯, after all. Um, well, don¡¯t feel down. You¡¯ve worked quite hard, so I¡¯ll give you something a little more light-hearted for the next world. ¡±


    When it finished speaking, the human-like quality seemed to drop from its voice and a machine said coldly, ¡°Mark.¡±


    ¡®Mark¡¯ again! Han Yanyan opened her mouth, but had no time to say anything.


    She seemed to go into a trance for a moment, and then there was a hollow, empty feeling in her head.


    ¡°In this world, you¡¯re here to make sure the target understands the mistakes he¡¯s made. As for the specifics, they¡¯re up to you. You did great in the last world, so trust your intuition,¡± said the robotic voice. ¡°The world isn¡¯t difficult. Consider it a little vacation.¡±


    ¡°The world has been generated,¡± it then said mechanically.


    It can freely switch between the human-like tone and the cold inorganic one without a gap in between, Han Yanyan thought.


    She didn¡¯t know that after she had entered the world, the ¡®robotic voice¡¯ turned off his mic and turned to explain to the people behind him, ¡°She¡¯s an architect with a lot of potential. She¡¯s done the best so far out of all of them.¡±


    ¡°She must¡­ must be allowed to relax¡­ her current mental threshold is approaching the warning line.¡± He looked at the row of pitch-black muzzles aimed at him, swallowed, and carefully explained. ¡°Three architects have already died, so we must cherish this one. I¡¯ve arranged something more light-hearted for her next. When she¡¯s rested, she can go back to work.¡±


    The cold gun muzzles aimed at him did not waver.


    The ¡®robotic voice¡¯ wiped away cold sweat, turned back around, and continued monitoring¡­


    frostcrystal


    In the previous translation, Han Yanyan was called a ¡®builder¡¯. I¡¯m a bit torn as ¡®builder¡¯ does have a pretty good piece of foreshadowing built in, but on reflection I¡¯ll be changing the term to ¡®architect¡¯, because a) it sounds cooler, and b) I believe it¡¯s more accurate since¡­ well, you¡¯ll just have to find out. ????


    I like the chapters between worlds. There¡¯s so much to unpack.


    Comments are nice, so give me one if you feel like it!

 Chapter 18.2

    Han Yanyan opened her eyes to a room full of clothes. The wardrobe she was standing in was bigger than her old living room.


    She took a step forward and stretched out her hand to touch the hanging garments. They were all exquisitely made, fashionable, and obviously expensive. In addition to the countless racks of clothes, there were whole cabinets of shoes and purses¡­ Han Yanyan halted in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror and examined herself in the mirror, unlocking the information stored in her brain.


    The first two ¡®Han Yanyans¡¯ had had delicate features and a somewhat scholarly, ethereal air. This version of ¡®Han Yanyan¡¯, however, was a stunning woman with a gleam in her eye and a certain recklessness in the slant of her brow. This was a 100% rich and arrogant young lady, just like Miss Cao from her very first world, the one that had collapsed.


    The other thing she had in common with Young Miss Cao was that Eldest Miss Han Yanyan was also engaged ¨C to the mission goal of this world ¨C Qiao Wenxing, heir to the Qiao Group. The two people were praised by the media as the golden couple of the business world, a match made in heaven, but unsurprisingly, the essence of this engagement was nevertheless a business arrangement.


    ¡°Miss.¡±


    Han Yanyan heard a sudden voice. She walked out of the cloakroom to find a maid standing outside. The woman was wearing the uniform of a wealthy domestic servant from an old-fashioned Hong Kong drama. ¡°The driver is ready, Miss. When would you like to leave?¡±


    Since she had the world information activated, Han Yanyan realized she had asked her fianc¨¦ Qiao Wenxing to a dinner that day. According to the storyline she had been given, Qiao Wenxing would confront her tonight and break off the engagement.


    As a young elite, Qiao Wenxing had been invited by his alma mater to a celebration and there met Bai Yue, a junior from a poor family. In his eyes, she seemed like a lotus flower, pure, clean, strong and self-reliant, yet lovable. Feeling that he had met his true love in this life, Qiao Wenxing had decided to break off his engagement with wealthy Eldest Miss Han Yanyan, and to live with his true love for the rest of his life.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s mouth twitched. This plot¡­ Why was this plot like an exact replica of the Han Yanyan-Zheng Yao-Miss Cao trio from that first, collapsed world? Her balls hurt from the sheer lack of imagination.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be down after changing,¡± she replied.


    The maid stepped away, and Han Yanyan turned back to the walk-in closet. The interior was simply a woman¡¯s dream. The robotic voice had said that this world would be her vacation, and it seems that it hadn¡¯t lied. Through the information fed into her mind in advance, Han Yanyan was already aware of the lavish and sumptuous life she was living in this world. It was the sort of luxury that she could never even have dreamt of, since poverty limited imagination.


    Being reborn rich, beautiful and fair certainly fulfilled a life dream of hers. Han Yanyan took a deep breath, tried to suppress her remaining anger and resentment, and headed back into the closet to pick out something to wear.


    There were so many garments that it would have made her blind to choose an outfit deliberately. Han Yanyan closed her eyes, picked at random, and opened her eyes again to find that the dress was in her favourite style. That made her feel better. She swept it off the hanger, and as she was preparing to put it on, her eyes brushed across the brand name and froze. She stared for a moment at the brand name, threw the outfit on the ground, then began pulling clothes from the closet, checking the brand names one by one.


    A while later, Han Yanyan stood silently in the middle of the walk-in closet, looking at the room full of clothes, shoes and bags. She said nothing for a long time, before finally picking up the first dress and putting it on¡­


    The city she was in was on the river, and from the restaurant Qiao Wenxing had booked, one could see the waters.


    Han Yanyan wondered if she had left a little late, but she ended up arriving earlier than Qiao Wenxing and waiting for him for ten minutes.


    Qiao Wenxing wasn¡¯t alone. A girl had come with him, clean and pretty, with the look of a college student. This was Bai Yue, who had just graduated from college. Qiao Wenxing had arranged for her to work at his own company, right under his nose. ¡®Han Yanyan¡¯ had actually once met her at his office before. At that time, she had found the girl pleasing to the eye, and had been called ¡°Miss Han¡± in a very harmless manner.


    Since she was here on a mission, Han Yanyan knew exactly what was going on, but nonetheless she raised an eyebrow, lifted her chin and said, ¡°Are we eating with your secretary?¡±


    Bai Yue¡¯s head lowered further. Qiao Wenxing noticed; he stretched out his hand and took hers, then pulled her to sit down opposite Han Yanyan.


    ¡°This is Bai Yue, you¡¯ve met her before,¡± he said. ¡°I brought her here today to introduce you to each other.¡±


    ¡°Yanyan, I¡¯m in love with Bai Yue. I want to be together with her,¡± he told Han Yanyan seriously. Infected by his attitude, Bai Yue plucked up her courage, raising her head to face this proud and domineering young lady.


    Eldest Miss Han didn¡¯t seem to care at all, shrugging indifferently, ¡°If you like her that much, buy her a house and keep her. You don¡¯t have to present her to me.¡±


    Bai Yue¡¯s face paled, and a humiliated look rose in her eyes. She attempted to break free from Qiao Wenxing¡¯s hold, but he did not let her go, only holding her tighter.


    He looked at Han Yanyan calmly. ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood my meaning. Yanyan, I wish to break off my engagement with you, and to marry Bai Yue. I cannot fool my heart. She is the one I love, not you. I am sorry.¡±


    Han Yanyan acted surprised. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Very serious.¡± Qiao Wenxing nodded.


    He turned to look at Bai Yue, whose face flushed. As if she had once again gained courage from him, she stood back up to confront Eldest Miss Han face to face. No matter what vicious insults came out of the mouth of this bossy young lady, Bai Yue thought, she was strong enough to face her.


    But the domineering Eldest Miss Han simply chuckled, nodded, and shrugged. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Qiao Wenxing and Bai Yue both sat back, startled.

 Chapter 19.1

    Qiao Wenxing and Bai Yue looked at each other.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you¡­ aren¡¯t you angry?¡± Qiao Wenxing asked, a little blankly. Though praised by the media as ¡®a noble son¡¯ and ¡®an elite youth¡¯, he was actually only 24 years old, and due to having been pampered by his mother, somewhat na?ve. However, due to being very self-disciplined, he had never indulged in drinking, clubbing, women, drugs, car racing, gambling, or any of the vices, thus making him a very popular young man in the eyes of his elders.


    Bai Yue¡¯s eyes flashed in suspicion of Han Yanyan¡¯s indifferent attitude.


    For Han Yanyan, however, it was little more than an hour ago that she had been thrown out as a meat shield by Ding Yao. She was still in a terrible mood. When she gazed upon this pair of lovebirds with ¡®this is true love!¡¯ written all over their faces, she smiled ironically. ¡°What¡¯s there to be angry about? You and I aren¡¯t engaged for love. This is a business marriage. I¡¯ll find someone else after we break up.¡±


    Although Han Yanyan was telling the truth, Qiao Wenxing felt slightly uncomfortable inside being so directly shot down by his former fianc¨¦e. ¡°How will you explain it when you get back?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What am I explaining?¡± Han Yanyan replied, surprised.


    ¡°When you¡¯re telling Uncle Han about the dissolution of our engagement,¡± Qiao Wenxing said.


    ¡°Why am I the one telling anyone? You¡¯re the one who wants to break off the engagement, not me,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re going to go home and talk to your dad, of course, and when you¡¯ve worked it out with him, then he¡¯ll come and talk to my dad¡­¡±


    Her voice came to an abrupt halt, and she looked at Qiao Wenxing as if she was talking to a fool. ¡°¡­did you think that it was up to you and me to decide something as important as breaking off the engagement?¡±


    Qiao Wenxing¡¯s face flushed in embarrassment, while Bai Yue exclaimed in astonishment, ¡°Why not?¡±


    Han Yanyan ignored her as if she didn¡¯t exist. ¡°If you have all this extra time to waste with me, you might as well use it to head home early and find your father. The crux of this matter is between your father and mine, not with you and me. So long as you work it out with them both, I¡¯m fine with it.¡±


    Qiao Wenxing lowered his eyes. It wasn¡¯t that he wasn¡¯t aware of what Han Yanyan was saying, but it was easier to face her than to face his father.


    Turning to see his look, Bai Yue took his hand and said softly and firmly, ¡°Wen Xing, you are an adult. You have the power to decide your own life.¡±


    Her trust and worship seemed to infuse Qiao Wenxing with courage. He sat a little straighter.


    ¡°And you, Miss Han,¡± Bai Yue turned to look at Han Yanyan and said sincerely, ¡°You¡¯re also a full-grown adult. You can be brave. Why settle for a marriage without love?¡±


    Thanks to this eloquent speech, Han Yanyan finally condescended to look at this girl.


    Eldest Miss Han was the proud daughter of a wealthy family, one brought up to be naturally arrogant. When her relationship with Qiao Wenxing was still uncertain, Bai Yue wasn¡¯t sure enough of herself to confront Han Yanyan. But now Qiao Wenxing had acknowledged her, and not only that, but he had done so to Han Yanyan¡¯s face and demanded that they dissolve their engagement. Bai Yue felt emboldened. Not only was she able to stand on an equal footing with Han Yanyan, but there was also the pleasure of victory in her heart. This time when she spoke, her lowered posture was gone. She looked straight at this Eldest Miss.


    Merely an hour ago, Han Yanyan was still in the zombie apocalypse, fighting side by side with Ding Yao against three corpse emperors and nearly a hundred mutants, and finally thrown out to die by the man she loved. A great sea of simmering rage and murderous intent was suppressed to the bottom of her heart. She looked over upon hearing Bai Yue¡¯s laughable words.


    To Han Yanyan it was a fleeting glance, but the pressure of that killing glare condensed from life and death crushed the little pleasure of victory that Bai Yue was feeling. She felt a chill go down her back, and couldn¡¯t help but tense her shoulders and shrink into herself, her heart fluttering in fright.


    ¡°Settle? Settle, you say?¡± Han Yanyan scoffed. ¡°Do you know what a business marriage is?¡±


    ¡°A business marriage is a man and a woman representing two families to integrate their capital and technology. They exchange their connections and resources through marriage. This is a about making an alliance.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re talking about marriage, not starting a feud. Qiao Wenxing doesn¡¯t wish to ally with our family. That¡¯s acceptable to me. It¡¯s just business ¨C we talk about it, and if we can¡¯t work it out, then we won¡¯t go through with the deal, no hard feelings. Later, we¡¯ll all work together in the future to earn money together.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Han Yanyan looked at Bai Yue, her eyes slightly narrowed, ¡°Just because Qiao Wenxing and I will part amicably doesn¡¯t mean a gold-digger like you gets to tell me what to do.¡±


    Bai Yue was so angry at being called a ¡®gold-digger¡¯ that her lips trembled. ¡°How dare you insult me like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Am I wrong?¡± Han Yanyan looked her up and down. ¡°You¡¯re hardly ugly. You should have plenty of boys chasing after you at school. But you chose Qiao Wenxing. Why? Isn¡¯t it money? Surely there must be at least a few boys amongst your pursuers who are outstanding students from regular backgrounds. You could have chosen someone just like that and worked hard together humbly, and in ten or twenty years, you would have done well for yourselves. But you didn¡¯t. You chose one that was ready-made. You wanted to skip over the suffering in the middle and dive straight into happiness, so you chose to marry into wealth.¡±


    Bai Yue turned pale with anger. She bit her lip and gazed stubbornly at Han Yanyan. ¡°I like Wen Xing because he has a kind heart. When my father was seriously ill, it was Wen Xing who extended a helping hand and selflessly helped my family and I through our difficulties. You don¡¯t know him at all, he¡­¡±


    ¡°The money he used to help you is his father¡¯s, not his,¡± Han Yanyan sneered. ¡°If that¡¯s the reason why you love him, you¡¯re aiming your affections at the wrong man. It¡¯s Chairman Qiao you should be in love with.¡±


    Bai Yue choked on her words.


    ¡°Well? So besides money and the glow of wealth, what do you love about him?¡± she jeered.


    Tears were swirling in Bai Yue¡¯s eyes. Feeling sorry for her, Qiao Wenxing said sternly, ¡°Yanyan, don¡¯t talk nonsense! Yue Yue¡¯s not like that.¡±


    Han Yanyan laughed mockingly. ¡°Perhaps she doesn¡¯t understand. Right now she¡¯s not even married into the Qiao family yet, but even if one day she becomes a young mistress of the Qiao family, she still wouldn¡¯t have the right to tell me what to do.¡± When she finished, she stood and said, ¡°Well then, your lady has quite ruined my appetite for today, so I¡¯ll leave you here. You two can eat by yourselves.¡±


    Qiao Wenxing stood up, and upon seeing this, Bai Yue followed.


    Picking up her bag, Han Yanyan glanced at Qiao Wenxing. ¡°I¡¯ve known you since I was a child, so I¡¯ll leave you a little advice. This marriage was decided by your father and mine, and yours was the one who pushed particularly hard for it¡­ you know why he did. He has the final say in your family, and I advise you not to disobey him. After all¡­ you¡¯re not his only son.¡±


    This obviously came as a surprise to Bai Yue. She turned to Qiao Wenxing in astonishment and asked: ¡°You¡¯re not an only child?¡±


    Qiao Wenxing shrugged it off. ¡°Just an illegitimate child. If my dad cared about him, he would have brought him home already.¡±


    Han Yanyan smiled.


    frostcrystal


    This week MangaDex allowed new chapters to be uploaded again! I¡¯m swimming in updates, best. week. eveeeeerrrrr ????

 Chapter 19.2

    In the past, the Qiao family had had a stable and trustworthy heir to the family. Thus, recognizing an illegitimate child would only have brought conflicts of interest, not at all conducive to the stability of the family and the group. Yet all of a sudden, their heir¡¯s brain had suddenly short-circuited for the sake of true love, and he was now running off into some unreliable direction. If she were one of his elders, she would certainly reconsider the matter of his inheritance. What was more, the Qiao family had been slowly declining the past few years. Only thanks to Father Qiao vigorously pushing forward the matter had they been able to marry into the Han family. Father Qiao would never permit the marriage to fall through because of a little white flower who thought that love triumphed over everything.


    Furthermore, although his illegitimate child had not been officially recognized, they had still gone to a prestigious school, studied abroad, and received the education of an elite.


    A smile touched Han Yanyan¡¯s mouth. ¡°Then I wish you good luck.¡±


    She turned and made a dashing exit, her high heels clattering on the floor.


    Bai Yue bit her lip and watched her go. Hanging her head, she said in a low voice, ¡°I, I don¡¯t like her¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s always had a temper. We grew up together as children, so I know her very well. She¡¯s really a very nice girl, not an evil one.¡± Qiao Wenxing comforted.


    This was not at all what Bai Yue wanted to hear. She had wanted Qiao Wenxing to unite together with her in criticism of his former fianc¨¦e. When he didn¡¯t, Bai Yue was disappointed.


    She looked up and smiled. ¡°Then she must be angry about the engagement. Even though she says she doesn¡¯t care, it probably still matters to her. After all, how could she ever find someone else as wonderful as you¡­?¡±


    She had always been gentle and considerate, and almost worshipfully obedient. It made Qiao Wenxing, whose mother still treated him like a child, feel indomitable.


    ¡°I felt guilty about her,¡± she added, ¡°But it seems now that she¡¯s just annoyed and doesn¡¯t really have feelings for you. It might be good that the engagement was broken off. I hope that one day, just like me, she¡¯ll find someone who really loves and cares for her. It¡¯s just too tragic for someone to only have money and trade in their thoughts.¡±


    Qiao Wenxing took her hand and said, ¡°Let her be. She¡¯s always been quick-tempered and indifferent. Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?¡±


    Bai Yue opened up the menu and ordered Qiao Wenxing¡¯s favorite dishes.


    Her heels clicking on the floor, Han Yanyan walked out of the building imposingly. The people walking beside her unconsciously stepped back, avoiding her path.


    At the foot of the steps, her chauffeur opened the door for her and placed his hand at the top of the entrance to the car, so as to prevent his young lady from accidentally hitting her head when getting on. When he closed the door and put his hands on the wheel, he heard his young lady say lazily, ¡°Roasting people sure is nice. It makes one feel so much better afterward.¡±


    The driver smiled. ¡°Who was so blind as to provoke you, Miss?¡±


    Han Yanyan sighed, ¡°Two idiots.¡± Then she asked, ¡°Uncle Chen, is there anywhere to eat nearby? I¡¯m still hungry.¡±


    The driver was slightly surprised. He knew that Han Yanyan had come here today to see Young Master Qiao, so how had she left without eating? But this was beyond the scope of his work. He did not pry further, but simply suggested a restaurant Han Yanyan frequented. ¡°Will that do?¡±


    ¡°That will be fine.¡± Han Yanyan gladly agreed. ¡°You¡¯ve got to have a good meal when you¡¯re in a bad mood. If one isn¡¯t enough, then two will do.¡±


    The driver couldn¡¯t help but glance back at her through the rearview mirror. His young lady looked fierce, but was in in fact usually very kind to the staff. Today, however, he felt like there was something different about the Eldest Miss. She sat in the back seat looking through the glass at the evening scenery outside, but it was as if she wasn¡¯t really looking at anything, merely in a daze.


    The driver noticed that her mouth was taut, and that there was rage coming through her beautiful and bright face.


    When he brought his gaze back to the road, he heard Han Yanyan say, ¡°Uncle Chen, book me a plane ticket out tomorrow and a hotel.¡±


    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± her driver asked.


    ¡°You decide. I want it to have sunshine, beaches and plenty of handsome men.¡± Han Yanyan leaned back idly. ¡°I want to relax, take a vacation.¡±


    The driver smiled. ¡°Leave it to me.¡±


    Han Yanyan flew abroad the very next day. She flew first class to a luxury resort, where they had sunshine, beaches, and handsome men of every skin colour from all over the world.


    The robotic voice had told her that this world was her vacation.


    Though she herself was not too wealthy in this world, her father was. Han Yanyan felt as though she had been reborn.


    It was great to be fair, rich, and beautiful!


    frostcrystal


    What sort of lousy ¡®comforting¡¯ is that, Qiao Wenxing?!!

 Chapter 20.1

    On the fourth day of her leisurely stay on a snow-white private beach, fair, rich and beautiful Han Yanyan awaited a guest.


    The guest was a handsome young man. His face had some similarity to Qiao Wenxing, but there was no trace of Qiao Wenxing¡¯s wealthy, pampered naivete.


    Although they were blood brothers, one was a young gentleman sought after and constantly in the spotlight. Engaged to the daughter of a wealthy family, though he had no achievements he was boasted of as a young elite. The other was an unrecognized and dishonorable illegitimate child, ridicule and contempt thrown in his face both openly and behind his back; though he had never wanted for anything, he had only had his mother. The place of his father had always been vacant.


    Unlike Qiao Wenxing, Liu Chengyu¡¯s eyes were calm and determined. Qiao Wenxing could not have mimicked the look.


    His last name was Liu, his mother¡¯s name. Though his biological father had generously granted him a good life, the stingy man hadn¡¯t even given him his last name. He was only a few months younger than his blood brother, an accident created by Father Qiao while Qiao Wenxing¡¯s mother was pregnant.


    Though his arrival was unexpected, he had grown up to be a better young man than his father¡¯s beloved son.


    Han Yanyan had sent him an invitation before leaving, and now, just as promised, here he was.


    At the moment, Han Yanyan was lying on a beach chair in a bikini, seductive and gorgeous with her snow-white skin and exquisite curves. When she took off her sunglasses to examine Liu Chengyu, her eyes narrowed and a smile spread across her rosy lips. She looked as lazy as a cat, without a trace of nervousness, the confidence of a wealthy daughter steeped into her bones since childhood.


    Liu Chengyu put his hands into his pockets calmly and let her look.


    While Han Yanyan looked at him, he looked at Han Yanyan. His prospective eldest sister-in-law in name was a flamboyant and ostentatious beauty, worthy of the name ¡®Eldest Miss¡¯.


    In his heart, he couldn¡¯t help but feel unwilling. Although his biological father had fed and clothed him, he would never give him the same resources as Qiao Wenxing. This woman in front of him was one that he could never hope to marry all his life.


    ¡°You invited me to meet you here. What¡¯s going on?¡± He had been surprised to receive her invitation. Although he was brothers with Qiao Wenxing by blood, he would never have been invited to the wedding, and felt like he shouldn¡¯t be in contact with Qiao Wenxing¡¯s fianc¨¦e. When he had received a phone call from her the day before yesterday, he had hesitated before finally coming out of curiosity.


    ¡°Nothing at all,¡± Han Yanyan said with a smile. ¡°I just wanted to meet the future heir of the Qiao family.¡±


    Liu Chengyu frowned. ¡°Did you call me up just to humiliate me?¡± He added a little sarcasm to his words, ¡°Eldest sister-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Whoa there!¡± Han Yanyan shook her finger at him. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that. I may still end up as the daughter-in-law of the Qiao family, but I might not be your sister-in-law.¡±


    Liu Chengyu looked at her. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Han Yanyan smiled, stood and put her sunglasses back on.


    ¡°Your dear brother Qiao Wenxing has fallen in love with a little white flower from a poor background and wishes to break off our engagement. He doesn¡¯t understand the  true meaning behind the marriage between the Qiao Family and the Han family. I¡¯m very much in doubt of whether or not your father is going to keep such a foolish son in the position of heir. He isn¡¯t your father¡¯s only option, after all. The Qiao Family still has¡­ you,¡± she eyed the outstanding, composed young man before her, ¡°Qiao Chengyu.¡±


    ¡°My surname is Liu,¡± Liu Chengyu said quietly. ¡°He won¡¯t even give me his surname, how could I be heir?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had someone look into you,¡± Han Yanyan shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ve excelled academically ever since you were a child, and skipped a few grades along the way. At the age of 22, you got a master¡¯s degree in business administration from M country. When you returned to China, you started working at a branch company under the Qiao Group, starting from the bottom. You are now a department manager and the leader of two projects, both very successful. However, everyone else only knows you as Liu Chengyu. No one knows your true identity. With your academic excellence and obvious talent, you must have had many offers to choose from upon returning home, but you chose the Qiao Family company. You said your father didn¡¯t want you to be heir, but¡­ you haven¡¯t said that you don¡¯t want to be.¡±


    Han Yanyan was very observant, and she noticed how Liu Chengyu licked his lips imperceptibly as she spoke. In fact, she hadn¡¯t had him investigated at all. What she had just said was all the information the robotic voice had given her at the beginning of this mission. It wasn¡¯t difficult to put the pieces together. Liu Chengyu was exceptional, yet suppressed and unacknowledged by his father thanks to his identity as an illegitimate child. It was impossible for him to be content with the situation.


    He had a calm and decisive character, and he was extremely talented. All he needed was a little help, and Han Yanyan was happy to give it.


    ¡°Your father is biased against you, so you work harder. But at most, he¡¯ll just add a little more to the inheritance that he¡¯s already prepared for you. It will be very difficult to get from him the identity and status that you truly want,¡± she said. ¡°But if you marry me, the only heir of the Han Group, and become my father¡¯s son-in-law, I think your father might be quite happy to give you a surname and accept you into the Qiao family. It might not be unthinkable for you to become heir.¡±


    Liu Chengyu¡¯s expression finally changed. He stared at this beautiful, ostentatious woman before him, and a strange light flashed in his eyes. ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked.


    Han Yanyan smiled sweetly. ¡°I¡¯m going to go change. Let¡¯s talk about it at dinner.¡±


    Tomorrow my fianc¨¦ and I are going on a road trip, so here is a chapter early. Road trip! Road trip! ????

 Chapter 20.2

    Dinner was by candlelight.


    This island was a holiday paradise. The weather felt like spring all year round, with glowing white beaches and bright stars at night. Liu Chengyu could see that the Eldest Miss of the Han Family was really enjoying her dinner. With every bite of fresh lobster raised to her mouth, she closed her eyes a little and her mouth curved to show the pleasure and contentment she was feeling in the moment.


    Liu Chengyu was patient. He quietly and respectfully accompanied her through the meal, until Han Yanyan finally picked up her glass to take a sip of white wine. Then he put down his knife and fork, dabbed his mouth with a napkin, and set it aside to start the conversation that would change his life.


    ¡°All transactions must be fair. I would like to know what you want from me in return?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Hmmmmmm¡­¡± Han Yanyan dragged out her answer as she swished her wineglass gently. ¡°What about a reliable husband?¡±


    Liu Chengyu¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change.


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Han Yanyan smiled.


    ¡°The Qiao Family has been going downhill for the past two years, but to my father¡¯s mind, they are still the best allies by marriage. He isn¡¯t willing to settle for second place, and neither am I.¡± Han Yanyan curled a lip. ¡°Unfortunately, your brother has lost his mind. I doubt my dad wants a fool for a son-in-law, and of course, I don¡¯t either. Who would want an idiot for a husband? ¡±


    She laughed scornfully.


    Her expression made Liu Chengyu relax. ¡°What are your requirements for this marriage?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I want to be free,¡± Han Yanyan replied.


    Does she mean, sexually? Liu Chengyu pursed his lips. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can agree with that attitude towards marriage.¡±


    Surprised, Han Yanyan said, ¡°I would have thought that with your life experience, you wouldn¡¯t care too much about marriage.¡±


    Liu Chengyu tightened his lips, and the air seemed to chill. But unexpectedly, Eldest Miss Han apologized immediately. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I crossed a line.¡±


    He loosened his clenched fist and pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°Before we have children, I¡¯m fine with not interfering with your lifestyle. But if you and I have a child together, I wish for the child to have a normal and complete family.¡±


    A little amazed, Han Yanyan asked, ¡°Have you never thought that this requirement might lead to our negotiations falling through, and that I might settle for second best? You must know that there are quite a few people who would be glad to marry me, and who wouldn¡¯t care if I continued playing around.¡±


    ¡°A man must have a bottom line.¡±


    Han Yanyan put away her playful look. Now sincerely interested in the young man before her, her eyes turned serious.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what sort of marriage you want,¡± Liu Chengyu said, ¡°But I will do my best to give it to you. However, that¡¯s my bottom line. If you can¡¯t accept it, then we have nothing to talk about.¡±


    Han Yanyan put down her glass and leaned back slightly in her chair, examining Liu Chengyu. His face was similarly handsome, but his serious eyes in comparison to spoiled Qiao Wenxing made him much more pleasing to Han Yanyan¡¯s eye. She thought for a while before saying, ¡°Alright. This condition isn¡¯t hard to accept.¡±


    ¡°But I have one more request,¡± she added.


    Liu Chengyu leaned forward.


    ¡°The most humiliating thing that I, Han Yanyan, have ever encountered was to have the words ¡®breaking off the engagement¡¯ thrown in my face. I want your foolish brother to be taught a lesson.¡±


    When Liu Chengyu¡¯s expression changed slightly, she smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t endanger his life, nor will I injure his limbs. Doesn¡¯t he love beauty but not power1? Then let us take away his power and see if his beauty will stick around to share his hardships.¡±


    Liu Chengyu thought a little before holding out his hand to Han Yanyan. ¡°Deal.¡±


    Her red lips curved as she took his hand.


    After Liu Chengyu returned to China, Han Yanyan left the island as well. She went to a different country¡¯s snow-capped mountains for a pleasant skiing holiday, and then flew to another country¡¯s world-famous Grand Canyon¡­ She played all over the world for four months before finally packing her bags and going happily back to China.


    Winter had already fallen in China. Uncle Chen, who came to pick her up at the airport, could clearly feel that her inexplicable rage of four months ago had dissipated, and that she seemed far more relaxed. But at the thought of the news he had recently gotten, Uncle Chen didn¡¯t dare say anything. He drove Han Yanyan home as quietly as a chicken.


    Han Yanyan had traveled and shopped abroad until she was tired of being fair, rich and beautiful. When she got home, the first face she saw was the stormy and unpleasant visage of her father in this world.


    ¡°Your father has deluded himself. I thought that the boy wasn¡¯t aggressive enough, but that at the very least he would be able to keep the status quo. I never expected him to be such a fool.¡± Father Han threw a newspaper onto his desk.


    Han Yanyan picked it up and leafed through the pages, hiding a smile. While she had enjoyed herself all over the world, Qiao Wenxing had been rebelling against his father. He hadn¡¯t been able to do it, obviously, and his demand to break off the engagement had been overruled. In a fit of pique, Qiao Wenxing had put out a public statement dissolving his engagement with Han Yanyan, slapping the faces of both Han and Qiao with one blow.


    ¡°He really did it,¡± she laughed.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you surprised?¡± Father Han looked at her. ¡°Did you already know?¡±


    Han Yanyan threw down the newspaper. ¡°He came to me with his true love and kept saying that he wanted to break off the engagement. I was too lazy to pay attention.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you ran off to amuse yourself?¡± The thought of his daughter going abroad with grief in her heart thanks to this bird brain made Father Han fume. He no longer hesitated, but immediately and firmly ruled out Qiao Wenxing internally2.


    ¡°Yanyan,¡± he asked his daughter tentatively, ¡°How do you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Han Yanyan said, making a dismissive motion with her hand. ¡°We grew up together and knew each other well, so it felt right, but I didn¡¯t expect him to grow up to be so stupid. Since he¡¯s no longer suitable, let¡¯s call it off.¡±


    Father Han relaxed a little. Although it was an arranged marriage, he, too, hoped that his only daughter would have a happy life. Qiao Wenxing might not have been a success story, but Father Han thought that he might as least be a good husband. He hadn¡¯t expected to have misjudged the young man. He calmed down, opened a drawer, and took out a folder, which he then pushed over.


    Han Yanyan opened it to find a photo of Liu Chengyu. In it, he was shaking hands with some clients. His face was handsome, his manners solemn, and his look serious and earnest.


    Raising an eyebrow, she asked, ¡°And who might this handsome guy be?¡±

 Chapter 21.1

    ¡°Your Uncle Qiao¡¯s second son,¡± said Father Han. ¡°He¡¯s the product of an affair, so he¡¯s never been officially acknowledged as part of the family. But he has talent. When compared with Qiao Wenxing, his only loss is in his birth. ¡±


    Han Yanyan pretended that she knew nothing and flipped through the papers. Liu Chengyu¡¯s studies and career was all listed in the sheets before her, and they were exactly the same as the information downloaded to her mind. She nodded. ¡°He seems quite good, like a man who will go places.¡±


    Father Han tapped a finger on his desk. ¡°Your Uncle Qiao was extremely disappointed in Qiao Wenxing, so he officially brought this son into the Qiao family. There will be a reception the day after tomorrow, and your Uncle Qiao hopes that you will be there.¡±


    Han Yanyan looked up at her father.


    ¡°Uncle Qiao and I hope that you two young people can get to know each other,¡± he said.


    The supposed reason for the cocktail party didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was the blind date the two family heads had arranged.


    As soon as she entered the mansion, she felt the unkind looks burning into her back. Qiao Wenxing¡¯s breaking of the engagement had pushed Han Yanyan into the tabloid headlines.


    Han Yanyan let her fur coat slide off her shoulders. In a backless evening dress, high heels on her feet, she took her father¡¯s arm. She was slender and graceful arrayed in all her glory, as if she cared nothing for the gossip.


    The robotic voice¡¯s information was very useful. It not only allowed Han Yanyan, who was here on a mission, to know all the information pertaining to the situation and the relevant characters in advance, but also to take on everything that belonged to the ¡°Han Yanyan¡± from the mission world.


    For example, standing there, she instinctively knew the posture she should take, and the words she should use that were appropriate to her socialite status.


    A smile on her face, she accompanied her father to mingle. When she looked up, she saw Liu Chengyu coming her way behind his own father. The two family heads had known each other for many years, and were very familiar. Having watched each other¡¯s children grow up, they might even be called family.


    Father Qiao smiled kindly at Han Yanyan as he introduced her to Liu Chengyu. ¡°Yanyan, this is Chengyu. He is one year older than you and has been studying abroad  all this time. He¡¯s just returned to the country.¡±


    Liu Chengyu held out his hand to Han Yanyan. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m Qiao Chengyu.¡±


    A smile on her face, Han Yanyan took his hand and shook it. ¡°Han Yanyan.¡±


    It was as if they had never met before.


    Father Qiao pulled Father Han aside to talk business, and told Liu, no, Qiao Chengyu enthusiastically, ¡°Take good care of Yanyan.¡±


    Qiao Chengyu nodded. When the two fathers had left, he turned to look at Han Yanyan. Under the light of the luxurious crystal chandeliers, her confident, flamboyant aura outshone every other lady.


    He had ever only seen her in newspapers and entertainment magazines. The last time they had met, he had been too preoccupied to settle down and appreciate her beauty. But now he was standing side by side with her under the crystal lights, suffering the curious and suspicious stares, surrounded on all sides by elegant women in gorgeous clothes and the clinking of wine glasses. Qiao Chengyu knew that she would be a turning point in his life.


    ¡°Got your last name back?¡± Han Yanyan¡¯s lips curved just a little.


    ¡°It¡¯s just for show,¡± Qiao Chengyu said. He beckoned the waiter over, gave her a glass of wine, and the two slowly meandered to a more secluded place.


    ¡°Why do you say so?¡± she asked.


    ¡°On the surface, I¡¯m being recognized as a member of the family. But in fact, I¡¯m being used as a sharpening stone to put pressure on my brother,¡± he replied. ¡°It¡¯s just to force him to come back.¡±


    ¡°Come back? Where did he go? I¡¯ve been abroad this whole time, is there some homework I¡¯ve missed?¡±


    ¡°He ran away from home,¡± Qiao Chengyu said, deadpan.


    It took a lot of effort to swallow her mouthful of red wine, but she managed not to spit it out. Qiao Chengyu stood between her and the crowd, blocking their line of sight with his body, and patted her on the back to help it go down.


    A deep, backless evening dress, enchanting curves and satin skin, and butterfly bones1 to stir a man¡¯s heartstrings.


    Qiao Chengyu took his hand back and asked, ¡°What next?¡±


    Han Yanyan stroked her chest and waved her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that later. What¡¯s up with him running away from home? He¡¯s not a middle school student, why go through such a pain in the ass?¡±


    ¡°He went home and asked Father to break off the engagement, but the talks fell through,¡± Qiao Chengyu said coldly. ¡°Father was furious. Mrs. Qiao was also very angry. She made a special trip out to find the woman, and offered her 5 million yuan to make herself scarce. The woman tore the check in front of Mrs. Qiao, who was so angry she slapped her right then and there. That guy rushed over and saw it with his own eyes, and had a huge falling out with his mother. Mrs. Qiao gave him an ultimatum ¨C that woman or her. He chose the woman, they left together, and then they announced in the newspaper that he was breaking off his engagement with you. Mrs. Qiao was so angry that she was sent to the hospital, where she¡¯s still recuperating¡­¡±


    Han Yanyan held her head in her hands. ¡°Are there seriously still such lovesick adult men in this day and age?¡±

 Chapter 21.2

    Her expression, as if she wanted to vomit but couldn¡¯t, was so interesting that a smile finally broke over Qiao Chengyu¡¯s face. His serious, cold mouth curved, and it was as if the ice broke over his person for a few minutes, wreathing him in sunshine. It only lasted for a moment before that youthful sunshine was once again under wraps, and he said in a indifferent tone, ¡°When life runs too smooth, perfect, and carefree, one inevitably becomes a little na?ve.¡±


    Han Yanyan squinted at him, her eyes sparkling.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Qiao Chengyu asked, a little taken-aback.


    ¡°You look so good when you smile, so why do you always look so dour?¡± she raised a brow at him, one side of her red lips quirked up.


    His face tightened.


    ¡°What are your next steps?¡± The way he spoke was also serious, as if he were discussing a major project in a conference room.


    ¡°I¡¯m planning on¡­¡± Han Yanyan raised her chin a little, ¡°Playing along. If your father is going to make you an actor in a play, then we shall make his fake play real.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any specific actionable items?¡±


    Han Yanyan was speechless ¨C was he really treating this like a business project?


    ¡°Well, specifically, you¡¯ll of course be pursuing me.¡± She rolled her eyes.


    Qiao Chengyu was struck dumb.


    ¡°I¡¯m the dignified and imposing Eldest Miss Han of the Han Family. Do you think I¡¯ll marry you just because you said so?¡± Han Yanyan stared at him coldly, then turned on her heel left, leaving him with a perfect view of her departing figure. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting~¡±


    She sashayed away in the direction of a few other well-known ladies of her acquaintance.


    If a flower could describe a person, Qiao Chengyu thought that Han Yanyan would be a peony1, her leaves luxuriant, her petals fragrant.


    Somehow, his ears and heart felt a little hot.


    ¡°Yanyan, have you and Wenxing really broken off your engagement?¡±


    ¡°I heard that he left home for that other woman and wants to sever his relationship with his parents, so as to force the Qiao family to recognize her.¡±


    ¡°Yanyan, Uncle Qiao is so affectionate to you, don¡¯t tell me that he means for you and Qiao Chengyu to¡­?¡±


    Familiar girls crowded around Han Yanyan, all of them scavenging for information to satisfy the need for gossip burning inside their souls.


    These girls were all Han Yanyan¡¯s friends, but of course, there were no shortage of strange looks and unharmonious words.


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s just what he means,¡± someone laughed. ¡°Think about what used to happen back in the day. In some rural areas, the younger brother would marry his sister-in-law if his elder brother died.¡±


    Expressions changed. Although they had all been secretly watching Han Yanyan and Qiao Chengyu, guessing at this possibility, what had just been said was simply too rude.


    Han Yanyan¡¯ s full red lips curved. In a casual tone, she said, ¡°It¡¯s fine by me if he gets replaced by Qiao Chengyu.¡±


    ¡°What..?¡± Her girlfriends were all amazed. ¡°Yanyan, you¡­¡±


    Han Yanyan said indifferently, ¡°Wenxing and I wore diapers together, and that¡¯s more or less how we feel about each other. He¡¯s more like a brother to me than a romantic partner, so it¡¯s all the same to me whether I marry him or Qiao Chengyu. I was even a bit tired of looking at Wenxing, so switching to Qiao Chengyu isn¡¯t bad at all.¡±


    She raised one finger. ¡°First, he¡¯s handsome and in good shape.¡±


    The eyes of all the girls drifted to Qiao Chengyu and found that she was telling the truth. They were all accustomed to the young men in their circle, who were invariably smirking young dandies. It was rather refreshing to see someone serious.


    Raising a second finger, Han Yanyan added, ¡°Furthermore, he¡¯s excellent. You can see that he¡¯s an elite just by looking at his resume, right? And it¡¯s all real ability, not just future possibilities or hype.¡±


    Everyone nodded. They had all known about his accomplishments ever since Qiao Chengyu appeared in their circle. Though Qiao Wenxing had always been praised as an up and coming ¡®Young Elite¡¯, the bar was set quite low. Any young man in their circle who didn¡¯t do drugs, gamble or indulge in women could be referred to as ¡®elite¡¯.


    ¡°And most importantly,¡± Han Yanyan raised her third finger, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me who I marry, so long as this person shall inherit the Qiao Family.¡±


    A collective breath was sucked in. Before Number 3, One and Two were merely clouds in the sky! The Qiao Family and the Han Family are were two of the largest old money families in the circle. One couldn¡¯t help but get heated up when thinking about their strong finances and firm alliance. There was both admiration and also much envy.


    Unwilling to give in, the provocateur insisted, ¡°How can you be sure that he¡¯ll be the heir? It¡¯s common knowledge how much Uncle Qiao dotes on Wenxing. This Qiao Chengyu¡¯s mother is a mistress that Uncle Qiao doesn¡¯t care about at all. Why else would he have not acknowledged him for so long? He never even gave him the last name of Qiao, I hear that he¡¯s been using his mother¡¯s last name this whole time. If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t warm up to much to this Qiao Chengyu, or what will you do when Uncle Qiao calls Wenxing back?¡±


    Unexpectedly, Han Yanyan threw her head back and burst into uncontrollable laughter. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether or not he comes back. The man who marries me is the heir to the Qiao Family.¡±


    A hush settled over the crowd. Then everyone looked away, deliberately changing the subject. You praised my skirt, I¡¯ll praise your earrings.


    Han Yanyan beckoned the waiter over to exchange her empty wine glass for a new one. She smiled as she took a sip, Han Yanyan took a mouthful of wine with a smile, watching the envy of the others around her, watching the provocateur bloat with jealousy until she nearly became a puffer fish.


    If a girl must be reborn, it¡¯s best to be reborn to a wealthy father.


    Spying Qiao Chengyu some ways away from her, she raised her glass to him. Glittering clothes, a life of revelry, it was like a vacation.


    A few days later, Family Head Qiao¡¯s second son began pursuing the heiress of the Han family.


    A marriage between conglomerates, a dispute between two brothers. It shook up the paparazzi like blood before sharks.


    Oooh now you¡¯ve aroused the retired housewife garden enthusiast in me, Qiao Chengyu! I have a whole row of peonies and I love them. The flowers are so large that they have to be staked with special cages or they would fall over from the weight of their own blossoms. They¡¯re gorgeous flowers.


    On a somewhat less romantic note, today I had to perform surgery on all my squash plants. Just as they began bearing they got infested with vine borers, the very devil of squash plants. They¡¯re the larvae of a particular moth that burrow their way into a squash plant and eat their way up the middle of the stem, eventually killing the plant. I had to cut each plant open and pick the grub out with my fingers, which was disgusting yet satisfying. (then they were fed to the birds. sweet revenge!)


    May all squash vine borers be squashed!

 Chapter 22.1

    ¡°I got it! I got it! ¡± The tabloid reporter said excitedly, holding up his camera.


    In the photograph, the second son of the Qiao Family was sitting next to the Han Family¡¯s Eldest Miss. The second son of Qiao had one arm on the back of her chair, seemingly holding her in his embrace, and the excellent overlapping angle of the shot seemed to imply that the two were kissing. Although the reporter knew that it wasn¡¯t the case, it wouldn¡¯t prevent him from using this photo to spin the attention-attracting headline of ¡°the golden couple¡¯s passionate kiss!¡±, or ¡°brother and sister-in-law become lovers!¡±.


    ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day.¡± Whistling, the reporter put away his equipment, collected his companions, and withdrew.


    ¡°Are they gone?¡± Qiao Chengyu asked. He couldn¡¯t see for himself, as his back was turned.


    Han Yanyan had watched the paparazzi pack up and retreat. But she glanced at Qiao Chengyu, seemingly close to her but in actuality keeping his distance, and said, ¡°No, they¡¯re still there. Maybe they¡¯re not satisfied.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so stiff, it¡¯s unnatural.¡± She raised her face slightly to him. ¡°Here, come a little closer, take a lock of my hair and wrap it around your fingers. Yes, that¡¯s it¡­ just like that¡­¡±


    Qiao Chengyu did as he was told seriously, leaning in slightly and naturally until he could smell the scent of her fragrance.


    Unlike some of the other gentlemen in their circle, who could smell a woman¡¯s scent and reach an insight into her character, Qiao Chengyu had studied neither women nor perfume. All he knew was that Han Yanyan¡¯s fragrance was very attractive. It was a strangely mature and seductive scent for a young girl of twenty-three to be using.


    Her skin, however, was younger than her age, firm and elastic, radiant with youth.


    And in her eyes¡­ her eyes¡­ Qiao Chengyu saw the playful look in her eyes and paused. He looked behind him to see the silhouettes of the paparazzi far away in the distance, having gotten done with work early and gone home.


    He had been played.


    Pursing his lips, Qiao Chengyu tried to withdraw his hand. But a lock of hair was still coiled around his finger, and when he pulled it, Han Yanyan cried out softly. ¡°Ouch!¡± His hand stopped. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, before leaning over and bowing his head close to her to untangle the lock.


    When the last roll was undone and the long curly lock was about to slip from his fingers, Han Yanyan unexpectedly lifted up her eyes and raised her head to plant a kiss on Qiao Chengyu¡¯s lips.


    The lock of hair did not slip from his hands after all, held tight between his fingers. Their eyes locked, noses only a few centimeters apart. Qiao Chengyu¡¯s eyes were dim, and Han Yanyan raised an eyebrow.


    No overbearing CEO-style return kiss happened. Having locked eyes with Han Yanyan for a few seconds, Qiao Chengyu loosened his hand, let her long hair slip from his fingers, and sat up straight.


    ¡°Boring,¡± Han Yanyan wrinkled her nose. When he looked at her out of the corner of his eye, she sneered at him, ¡°You¡¯re like an old man.¡±


    She suddenly hesitated and asked with some surprise, ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re not a virgin, are you?¡± He couldn¡¯t be. According to her advance knowledge, Qiao Chengyu had had more than one girlfriend while studying abroad.


    Qiao Chengyu silently took a deep breath. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then are you gay?¡± Han Yanyan frowned. That shouldn¡¯t be it either. It hadn¡¯t been in her information.


    The deep breath was stuck in his lungs, unable to take in any more.


    ¡°Then how can I explain it? You don¡¯t react to me at all,¡± she complained.


    Qiao Chengyu turned to look at her, his eyes distant, dark and deep.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one I¡¯m going to marry,¡± he said. ¡°I want to take this seriously.¡±


    This time, it was Han Yanyan whose eyes froze. After a while, her rosy lips curved up into a slight, cold smile.


    ¡°Let me give you a piece of advice. Don¡¯t let your feelings in this world be too genuine. The one who is sincere¡­ is the one who is a fool. ¡± She laughed a distant, cool laugh.


    Lazy Han Yanyan, sexy Han Yanyan, proud Han Yanyan, confident Han Yanyan¡­ Perhaps none of them were more real than the Han Yanyan at this very moment, Qiao Chengyu thought.


    Thanks to this incident, dinner was very quiet. Afterward, Han Yanyan told Qiao Chengyu that she didn¡¯t need him to drop her off. She called up her driver to pick her up and take her elsewhere.


    ¡°I¡¯m going out tonight. Want to come?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Qiao Chengyu declined, looking at his watch. ¡°I¡¯ve got a report to finish.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. Work hard, heir,¡± she replied in a teasing manner.


    The word ¡®heir¡¯ touched a nerve. Her driver opened the door and Han Yanyan turned to get in, but was suddenly pulled back by the wrist.


    Although winter was nearly over, the wind was still cold. Qiao Chengyu¡¯s lips were hot, and his tongue was burning. He was a very good kisser. So he wasn¡¯t a virgin after all.


    Uncle Chen, a professional smile on his face, continued holding the door but looked away, turning his back to the fiercely kissing couple.


    Qiao Chengyu let go of Han Yanyan and gently wiped away her smudged lipstick with his thumb. He let go of her hand and said, ¡°Have fun.¡± Then he stepped back. His hands were in his pockets, his black overcoat unbuttoned, its corners flapping in the night air.


    Han Yan looked at him with a half-smile, got into the car, and left.

 Chapter 22.2

    In the car, Han Yanyan lit a cigarette.


    Though she herself did not smoke, the ¡®Han Yanyan¡¯ from this world did.


    Once the pre-loaded information in her brain was activated, she took on everything from the Han Yanyan of this world, from her words and deeds, to her living habits, even her personality.


    The ¡®Han Yanyan¡¯ from the very first, collapsed world was a little white-collar worker of pure character and simple mind. Someone of such disposition could be said to be weak. When she had taken over, her own character had occupied the dominant position. Meanwhile, the design of the last world¡¯s ¡®Han Yanyan¡¯ had been a blank slate, so she had stepped directly into her shoes. Therefore, Han Yanyan hadn¡¯t felt anything in those two worlds.


    But ¡®Eldest Miss Han¡¯ from this world was born rich and powerful, her nature warm, flamboyant and strong. Although Han Yanyan was still in control, she was inevitably affected by the setting. Now, for instance, she was smoking a cigarette in response to her slight change in mood. This was the habit of Eldest Miss Han, not of Han Yanyan.


    Ever since coming to this world, Han Yanyan felt like she had to be very careful.


    As she smoked inside the dark car, she thought about the progress of this world.


    Here in this world, her golden finger was her identity. The Han family had been wealthy and influential for the last three generations, and before the identity of ¡°Heiress to Han¡±, beauty was just the icing on the cake. The task she had in this world was to make Qiao Wenxing understand his mistakes. Or to put it more bluntly, just to make him regret his choices, wasn¡¯t it?


    That task wasn¡¯t difficult. The true difficulty was for a living person to control her own heart and restrain her own emotions while dealing with other living people.


    In ¡®Quick Transmigration¡¯, whomever is sincere, is the fool.


    Han Yanyan took a deep breath, taking nicotine deep into her lungs to poison her own cells.


    It had been half a year since she first came to this world, and Han Yanyan now felt much better. She remembered very clearly how when she first arrived here, she had travelled around the world, every day a joyride, but at night she would wake up from her dreams in a cold sweat, clutching her chest, making sure there was no bloody hole, no claw there to crush her heart.


    Then she could never help but look behind her to see if there was a ruthless man there. She really wanted to know what Ding Yao¡¯s expression and mood were back then. In the middle of the night when she couldn¡¯t fall asleep, she would curse him, hoping that he had died in the hands of the corpse emperor after her death. Stewing in this anger, she would then fall asleep.


    Over the course of the last half a year, this anger had broken out more and more rarely. But Han Yanyan knew that it hadn¡¯t dissipated. It was compressed deep down in the bottom of her heart.


    Perhaps hate always lasted longer than love.


    Her mobile phone rang. It was her playmates from tonight calling to ask where she was.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon,¡± she chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m a little late because I had dinner with Chengyu this evening.¡± The person on the other end of the line asked her teasingly if she and Qiao Chengyu were serious. Han Yanyan laughed to her hearts content. ¡°You¡¯ll all find out later.¡±


    She put out her cigarette and asked her chauffeur, ¡°Will there be any handsome guys there tonight?¡±


    With the smile, the other replied, ¡°Of course. They¡¯re all owned by our family, and every one of them is a popular fresh meat in the industry. You can have your pick.¡±


    In the past, Han Yanyan had written a good deal about living a life of luxury and indulgence. After all, overbearing tyrants were the mainstay of the romance genre. Some of what she wrote was from the entertainment news, some from the bits and pieces revealed by insiders on forums, and most of the rest from her own imagination. Back then, she couldn¡¯t help but imagine what it would be like, thinking that someday she would like to try living such a life.


    She never thought such a day would actually come. If ¡®quick transmigration¡¯ was a job, this might be thought of as a company perk.


    Han Yanyan had a very pleasant evening.


    The next day, the blurry photo of her cuddling with two popular young men in the nightclub made the entertainment headlines. That newspaper was in her father¡¯s hand at breakfast.


    Father Han only skimmed over it lightly, telling her not to stay up too late. Qiao Wenxing had publicly announced the breaking of their engagement in the newspaper, a real slap to the Han family¡¯s face. Although Han Yanyan was currently seeing Qiao Chengyu, Father Han felt like it wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing to teach him a little lesson.


    Han Yanyan felt particularly happy to have such a generous father.


    In a good mood, she called Qiao Chengyu. ¡°You¡¯ve chased me for two months. When are you going to propose, Qiao¡¯s second son?¡±


    ¡°Whenever you like, Eldest Miss,¡± replied Qiao Chengyu.


    Han Yanyan looked out at the wide courtyard outside her floor-to-ceiling windows. The chill was fading, and the sun was warm.


    ¡°Today will work,¡± she said idly.


    The next day when they both appeared in public, the paparazzi¡¯s sharp eyes noticed a rock the size of a pigeon egg on Han Yanyan¡¯s finger. When asked whether or not they were engaged, Han Yanyan and Qiao Chengyu intertwined their fingers and looked at each other with sweet faces.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± one said. The other embraced his lover with one arm to block the paparazzi from getting too close, and said, ¡°You¡¯ll know soon.¡±


    News that they were seriously dating made entertainment headlines and spread quickly.


    When Father Han saw it, he glanced at the pigeon egg rock on Han Yanyan¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°When will the engagement ceremony be held?¡±


    Han Yanyan, who only ever drank healthy, freshly squeezed juice in front of her father, held up her glass and said, ¡°This sort of thing must, of course, be brought up by the man.¡±


    Meanwhile, in his apartment, Qiao Chengyu received a phone call from his father¡¯s secretary. ¡°Young Master Chengyu, the chairman would like to see you tonight. Please come home.¡±


    Bai Yue also saw the newspaper at the same time.


    Her lover was the true Eldest Young Master of the Qiao Family, but the cocky young lady of the Han family was now going to marry an illegitimate child from an affair partner. And the affection between them was false, a sad marriage performed only for business purposes.


    In Bai Yue¡¯s heart was a small seed of victorious pleasure.


    I¡¯m out of town this coming week, so there will be no update next week (unless I find myself with a lot of extra time on my hands ???? ). I¡¯ll be back the week after!

 Chapter 23.1

    Bai Yue threw the newspaper in the trash, returned to the company with the coffee she had just bought, and entered Qiao Wenxing¡¯s office without knocking.


    Qiao Wenxing had founded this company. When Mother Qiao had tried to buy Bai Yue out, she had been firmly rejected. Consequently, Mother Qiao had slapped her in the face, humiliating her. However, she had called Qiao Wenxing prior, and he had hurried in just in time to witness this scene, promptly falling out with the mother who had always pampered and spoiled him.


    Even so, when he had run away from home and Father Qiao had frozen all his bank accounts, Mother Qiao had not been able to help but feel distressed. She had quietly given him some money, which Qiao Wenxing had used to start this company.


    Not only had Father Qiao frozen all his liquid funds, but he had also fired him from his position as general manager of the branch office.


    Qiao Wenxing had had everything he wanted since childhood, and everything had always gone smoothly for him. He had never done anything out of line. He was the darling of the circle and had always been praised by his elders. Although he was now twenty-four, he had never really gone through a rebellious stage.


    It could be said that his life had always gone so smoothly that he had never had the chance to rebel. This time, however, his resistance to his arranged marriage and his pursuit of love had finally caused an irreconcilable confrontation between him and his parents, and thus Qiao Wenxing¡¯s delayed rebellious stage finally bloomed.


    He wanted to take this opportunity to remove himself from his father¡¯s control, to make  his own name, and to prove himself as a self-made man.


    He knew about his father bringing his illegitimate brother home, but he didn¡¯t care. His half-brother was nothing more than a means by which his father was attempting to force him into submission. If his father had actually liked that illegitimate child, he would have brought him home, or, like himself, given him a branch office to take care of and get his feet wet.


    But his father hadn¡¯t. His father disliked his own unplanned, illegitimate child from the bottom of his heart. The child¡¯s mother was of low status, and her personality was even worse. His father had never forgiven her for daring to give birth without his consent.


    Qiao Wenxing didn¡¯t care a whit about Qiao Chengyu. He was currently upset because of something else.


    When his door suddenly opened, Qiao Wenxing frowned and looked up, about to take the person who hadn¡¯t knocked down a peg. When he saw it was Bai Yue, however, his expression softened. ¡°Where were you?¡±


    She handed him the hot coffee with a sweet smile. ¡°I got you the stuff you like best.¡±


    ¡°¡­thank you.¡± Qiao Wenxing took it.


    He actually did not care for this particular type of coffee at all. His favorite kind of coffee called for beans which were produced in the high mountain peaks of a tropical island, the best of the best, with a mellow taste and a rich fragrance. They underwent twelve roasting procedures before being flown into the country, and were extremely expensive. Most people couldn¡¯t afford to drink it. The coffee shops around that purported to sell it were actually selling imitations.


    But he wouldn¡¯t argue this point with Bai Yue. Bai Yue didn¡¯t care about this kind of thing. She only cared about him.


    ¡°Why did you run out to buy it personally? You could have just got it delivered,¡± he reproached her.


    Bai Yue wrinkled her nose. ¡°Getting it delivered is so slow. It gets cold before it arrives. I just wanted you to be able to drink it hot.¡±


    She cocked her head to one side, her smile beautiful, her eyes full of affection. She was a girl who, without even blinking, would shred a cheque worth more than she could have earned in her lifetime before his very eyes.


    Her feelings for him were the truest and the purest.


    Completely unlike Han Yanyan. He had grown up with Han Yanyan, and they were all too familiar with each other. When they were together, there was little such affection between them, and the conversation was generally about capital flow and the progress of projects. They were only engaged because they were following their parents¡¯ instructions.


    Furthermore, Han Yanyan was far too strong.


    Though the words that came out of Qiao Wenxing¡¯s mouth were reproachful, he actually very much enjoyed how she always placed him first, how he occupied the most important position in her heart. He took her hand. It was chilled by the icy wind, and a little distressed, he pulled her into his arms. ¡°Your hands are so cold¡­ next time, have someone else do it.¡±


    Warmed by her lover¡¯s concern, Bai Yue kissed him on the face and said sweetly, ¡°I¡¯ll wear gloves next time. I don¡¯t want you to drink coffee someone else bought.¡±


    She turned her head to see the folders spread across his desk. Pausing, she asked hesitantly, ¡°How are things going?¡±


    ¡°Not well,¡± Qiao Wenxing replied, his eyes darkening. ¡°Everyone knows me, and no one dares deal with me. My dad doesn¡¯t want me to succeed here, and they¡¯re all afraid of him.¡±


    Bai Yue gently smoothed the creases on his forehead and asked tentatively, ¡°Wenxing, have you ever thought about leaving this place and going elsewhere?¡±


    Stunned, Qiao Wenxing asked, ¡°But where?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my hometown?¡± Bai Yue asked. ¡°Of course,¡± she added, ¡°It¡¯s not actually my hometown. My hometown is a little village in the middle of nowhere. I mean the capital of my hometown province. No one will know you there. No matter how powerful your father is, he won¡¯t be able to reach you.¡±


    Qiao Wenxing hesitated. After all, the Qiao foundation was deeply rooted here, and since ancient times, it has been said that a powerful dragon could not repress a local snake1¡­


    Bai Yue¡¯s smile was sweet, and her eyes were full of longing. ¡°I can¡¯t help but imagine how great it would be to leave here, to leave these people who try to tie you down. ¡®The sky is unlimited for birds to fly at ease; the ocean is boundless for fish to leap at will¡¯; how great it will feel to be truly free!¡±


    Qiao Wenxing felt like he had been struck somewhere at the bottom of his heart. He, too, wanted to feel that feeling. He wanted to share that feeling with Bai Yue, together.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go,¡± he said firmly, squeezing her hand.

 Chapter 23.2

    The Qiao family mansion


    When darkness fell, the second young master Qiao Chengyu arrived. Qiao Chengyu had been to this mansion several times, all very recently, but he didn¡¯t live here. It wasn¡¯t his home.


    The housekeeper who politely took his coat was aloof and indifferent to him, dislike in her eyes. She was an old hand who had worked for Mother Qiao for over 20 years. She had watched Qiao Wenxing grow up, and though she held her tongue about him being recognized into the family, Qiao Chengyu could feel her clear rejection in the silence.


    He didn¡¯t like coming to this place.


    Taking off his coat, Qiao Chengyu went straight to the study on the second floor. After knocking and obtaining permission, he pushed open the door, made his way to the desk, ducked his head, and said, ¡°Father.¡±


    Father Qiao raised his head and looked at the son he had not raised, feeling very complicated.


    He had given Qiao Chengyu his name, just as Qiao Chengyu was well aware, to pressure Qiao Wenxing.


    He had also allowed Qiao Chengyu to come into contact with Han Yanyan. Han Yanyan  was a child born with a golden spoon in her mouth. Her father¡¯s family was wealthy, and her mother¡¯s family politically influential. Her eyes should never have deigned to look down upon Qiao Chengyu, so he had never imagined that she would end up taking a liking to his illegitimate son of an affair, even though¡­ this son was a truly excellent one who had inherited his genes.


    As a result, they were now engaged, and Father Qiao was suddenly in a passive role.


    ¡°Have you and Yanyan discussed when the engagement ceremony will be held?¡± father Qiao asked after a long silence.


    ¡°Not yet, since we haven¡¯t spoken to Father yet on the matter. The elders should weigh in before a decision is made. Us of the younger generation will do as we are told,¡± Qiao Chengyu replied indifferently.1


    Father Qiao nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll speak with Old Han tomorrow. No need for you to worry about it.¡±


    Qiao Chengyu raised his head to meet his father¡¯s eyes. ¡°I have never once worried about Father¡¯s capabilities.¡±


    His greedy mother had squandered his child support. It was his biological father who had made that child support into something real ¨C kindergarten and primary school  fees had been paid directly to the school, and everything he had needed in daily life had been prepared, from clothes, shoes and socks to cars and chauffeurs, had been supplied.


    Unable to touch a penny, his mother had gone into a rage2.


    But the things his biological father had prepared for him had been too high in quality. She had eventually stolen them and sold them for money. When Father Qiao found out, he had immediately sent Qiao Chengyu to a boarding school to separate him from his mother. He had gone from primary school to high school in boarding school, and though he was able to see his mother once every month or two, he had gradually grown apart from her.


    By the time he graduated from high school, his biological mother was nowhere to be found. He was well aware that she had probably deemed him unprofitable and run away with another man. Then he had been sent abroad, received the best education he could, and finally returned to China with a master¡¯s degree.


    When he had come home, his biological father had given him a house and a sum of money, and then never cared for him again.


    He had sat down and given the matter some thought before choosing the offer given to him by the company headed by his father¡¯s family. Anyway, no one knew who he was there, let alone his relationship with the group chairman. He could work hard there silently, hoping that one day, he might stand in front of his father face to face.


    Although his father had never once recognized him since birth, he had given him a good life and an excellent education, ensuring his safety and rights.


    Father and son looked at each other silently with their similarly-shaped eyes.


    After a while, the older one sighed quietly. He opened the drawer and took out several folders. ¡°Go back and look over these. Don¡¯t fool around. There will be a meeting at headquarters at 10 o¡¯clock tomorrow, and you should be there¡­¡±


    Qiao Chengyu had waited a long time for this day, in which his father finally came face to face with his existence and¡­ gave him a chance.


    He felt his hands tremble as he stood in the corridor with the folder in his hand and the door closed. Taking a deep breath, he went downstairs. As he passed through the empty hall, he felt a strange feeling, and looked up to see a dignified middle-aged woman leaning against the third-floor railing, looking coldly down at him.


    This was his biological father¡¯s wife, a woman of high birth.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s mother, too, was from a prominent family.


    Qiao Chengyu had yearned for a mother just like that, a mother who was surrounded and complimented everywhere she went.


    But his mother was a promiscuous woman who was always bringing men home, a different one each time, or staying out for days on end. She was also a drug addict. The last time he had seen her was when he had just come home from university and Father Qiao had had someone pass him the news. She had been in rehab, hopelessly thin, her eyes dull and glazed over when she looked at him.


    Years of drug abuse had damaged her brain.


    He was destined to have no high-born, elegant mother in this life, but he could still have a dignified and elegant wife. This was his dream, once ridiculous and out of reach, but now soon to be realized.


    Qiao Chengyu felt a fire ignite in his heart as he drove.


    Han Yanyan had not gone out to play that day. When she got a call from Qiao Chengyu, she was idly staying at home, watching TV.


    ¡°I¡¯m outside your door,¡± he said.


    He was here to see her. Han Yanyan didn¡¯t think it odd. Perhaps he had something important to tell her face to face. She put on her coat and walked out, through the courtyard and outside the gate, until she saw Qiao Chengyu¡¯s car. He got out when he saw the wrought iron door open and strode towards her.


    His manner reinforced her feeling that he had something important to tell her immediately, so she hastened toward him.


    But before she could even say ¡°What¡±, Qiao Chengyu strode forward suddenly, and cupping her face, lowered his head to her lips.

 Chapter 24.1

    There was a fire in the young man¡¯s heart, and a burning heat in his body which could not be put out. He could only pass it on to Han Yanyan through their joined lips.


    What fling, what partner¡­ this was love!


    By this time, Qiao Chengyu could no longer deny that he had been attracted to Han Yanyan from the very beginning. Perhaps she had already been his dream even earlier, when he had still been just an office clerk and she had been his half-brother¡¯s fianc¨¦e, only known through the reports of various newspapers and magazines.


    Her family was proud, and she lived with abandon, flamboyantly and confidently, with everything that he lacked and yearned for.


    Caught off guard, Han Yanyan was sucked into the kiss. The man¡¯s tongue was hot, and the heat seemed to invade like a raging fire into the depths of her body. Her long silent desire, which had been quiet for the last six months, was teased into revival, and her hormones surged.


    When their lips finally parted, Han Yanyan opened her eyes and thought to take Qiao Chengyu to bed.


    But Qiao Chengyu instead held her face, stared eagerly into her eyes, and asked earnestly, ¡°Yanyan, will you marry me?¡±


    Han Yanyan started.


    She was wearing an engagement ring on her finger, a blinding diamond the size of a pigeon eggs. The fact that they were engaged was all over the entertainment press. What did Qiao Chengyu mean?


    Han Yanyan gazed at Qiao Chengyu. His usual calm detachment had been swept away, and his eyes were full of eager anticipation and longing. All of a sudden, she understood.


    This wasn¡¯t about business cooperation in the form of marriage. Qiao Chengyu was seriously proposing to her; a young man hoping that the woman he loved would be with him his whole life.


    Han Yanyan was silent. In her silence, Qiao Chengyu¡¯s feverish mind cooled down a little, as did his heart.


    He let go of Han Yanyan and watched her quietly.


    Winter had ended and spring had begun. The world had already begun to warm, but the wind was still cold.


    Han Yanyan looked back at Qiao Chengyu. His face no longer glowed, and his eyes no longer shone. He was once again his normal self, silent and calm, a faint shadow hidden deep in his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He suddenly opened his mouth and apologized; for his wishful thinking and his one-sided overstepping.


    ¡°I¡­¡± He was at a loss to explain his impulse of just now. He had always been too composed and serious, and at this moment Han Yanyan truly felt how young he really was.


    She let out a sigh from the bottom of her heart.


    She could not remain indifferent after all.


    If this had been a story written on paper, she might have been able to stay out of it, to look down upon the happenings from the perspective of a detached and indifferent God. But she was a human being, with flesh and blood and feelings, who had come face to face with another human with flesh and blood and feelings. He was young and beautiful, and when love had finally come to him, he had burst out into fiery passion.


    Han Yanyan¡­ couldn¡¯t help but be touched, couldn¡¯t help but be affected, couldn¡¯t help but be moved.


    She stepped forward, stood on tiptoe and kissed the warm lips she had just parted from.


    ¡°Fool,¡± she smiled, her eyes glittering and her lips like fire.


    Like a spark thrown into a dying flame, this response re-lit the flame in Qiao Chengyu¡¯s eyes. His face shone once again.


    Ecstatic, Qiao Chengyu wound Han Yanyan tightly in his arms. His embrace was so tight and his height so tall that he lifted her off the ground. He kissed her wildly, kissed the features of her face, her slender elegant neck, her round earlobes.


    Han Yanyan giggled, put his arms around his neck, and murmured in his ear with a voice like rippling water, ¡°Take me home.¡±


    Qiao Chengyu was on fire with desire. He replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Han Yanyan and Qiao Chengyu had sex in his apartment.


    They went from the porch to the living room floor, from the dining table to the big bed in the bedroom. She was like a fish set free in a stream, swimming freely, swinging her tail at will, sometimes climbing high to the impossible peaks, reveling to her heart¡¯s content.


    In the tender aftermath, she stroked his face and kissed his warm lips before turning languidly in his embrace and going to sleep, satiated.


    When she woke in the middle of the night, she was alone. At a loss, Han Yanyan got out of bed barefoot, wrapped up in a sheet. The living room was dark, but the door of the study stood ajar, and bright light was shining out from inside. Han Yanyan quietly walked past.


    The floor and her feet were warm. Han Yanyan stood outside the study door and looked in through the narrow entrance. In the room, a man bathed in warm light was reading documents attentively, pausing from time to time to make a mark with a pen. His brow was furrowed seriously, and he was so absorbed in his work that he didn¡¯t notice the figure standing quietly at the door.


    Han Yanyan watched quietly for a while, the corners of her mouth tipping up in a faint smile. If she could only stay in this world and be with such a person, it would be a wonderful life.


    But then she remembered what had happened to her in the last world. The smile faded from her lips, her eyes chilled, and she unfolded her arms, going back to the bedroom to sleep.


    In her sleep, it seemed as though someone held her from behind. In the early morning, he kissed her on the cheek, and Han Yanyan barely opened her eyes to see that he was already dressed in shirt and tie.


    ¡°Sleep,¡± he whispered in her ear, then kissed her earlobe before leaving reluctantly. Han Yanyan turned over and fell asleep once again in the pillows and sheets that smelled like him.


    When she had slept enough, she got up lazily, took a shower and dressed. Grabbing something to eat from the fridge, she surveyed his simply decorated, cold apartment. The living room was messy with traces of their passion from last night. Since she was full, she sorted out the mess.


    ¡°Eldest Miss Han Yanyan¡± wouldn¡¯t have done something like that, but the real Han Yanyan would. When she was done cleaning up, she looked at the tidy living room, at a loss. She didn¡¯t know who she was.


    The Han and Qiao families soon held a grand engagement ceremony. There was a lot of traffic and a great deal of guests. The reporters covered it as the birth of a new golden couple.


    What was even more surprising was that Eldest Miss Han, who had always been playful and high-profile, had unexpectedly calmed down a great deal after her second engagement, no longer willful and frivolous. Both Father Han and Father Qiao were extremely pleased by this turn of events.


    And as for her fianc¨¦ Qiao Chengyu, a reporter caught a photo of him alone with his new fianc¨¦e. In the photo, he was gazing at her, his eyes tender, and who knew when a smile had begun spilling out from his lips¡­

 Chapter 24.2

    Qiao Wenxing followed Bai Yue away from the city where he had been born and raised, leaving behind his father¡¯s territory, and went to a strange place.


    After staying in a hotel for a few days, he rented an unsatisfactory apartment. Though he wasn¡¯t pleased with it, his funds were now limited, earmarked to start a business and as seed money for making more. He could only put aside the idea of buying a house for the time being. It wasn¡¯t easy to start from scratch in a completely unfamiliar city, and in order to save, he had to perform many trivial duties himself.


    Upon leaving his familiar environment, he had come to realize that getting things done had become far more difficult.


    The first place Qiao Wenxing had stumbled was when he had rented an office. After signing the contract and putting down a deposit, he had encountered many problems upon moving in. Back in D City, no middle-man would have dared to take advantage of him so, for fear of the repercussions. But here, he was unknown. Arguing and coordinating were both useless. He could only suck it up and take the loss.


    When his company had finally limped it¡¯s way along to being established, Bai Yue had remained as his secretary. Just like she had in D City, she served him tea in a caring and attentive manner. However, when it came to work, she wasn¡¯t much help ¨C she wasn¡¯t a professional businesswoman with great talent. She even made a few mistakes, causing him a little trouble.


    Qiao Wenxing had no choice but to hire a careful, capable girl and to give her the title of ¡°assistant¡±. In actuality, she took over Bai Yue¡¯s work altogether.


    Trying to run a startup in a new city, with no contacts to fall back on, Qiao Wenxing went through an uncomfortable, unforgettable period of adaptation.


    No one here knew him, and the title of ¡®Heir to the Qiao Family¡¯ had no no effect here. He had to learn how to bow to another, how to compliment, to be polite, and even how to flatter.


    All of this made him uncomfortable. But he had left D City and Father Qiao¡¯s control to prove himself. He was now responsible for both himself and Bai Yue, and to provide her with a satisfactory future.


    Slowly, Qiao Wenxing began to realize that he was not as good as he used to think. He had once been touted as an ¡®elite youth¡¯ and ¡®the future of business¡¯, but it was all nonsense. He began to feel regret, but he had now come this far. Running back to D City with his tail between his legs was no longer an option. He had to make some achievements here before he could go home.


    The news of Han Yanyan¡¯s engagement to Qiao Chengyu became known to Qiao Wenxing and Bai Yue almost at the same time. Their friends in D City were eager to pass on news of Han Yanyan. These so-called friends, unafraid of heights because they themselves were not on the stage, thought only of how there was too little gossip going around and every one of them hoped to stir up a storm.


    ¡°Oh my God Yue Yue, I¡¯m telling you, Eldest Miss Han¡¯s engagement ceremony was jusr sooo amazing!¡± her former coworker told Bai Yue excitedly.


    ¡°Did you go?¡± Bai Yue asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m hardly eligible!¡± said her ex-coworker. ¡°Mr. Liang went, though, and he took photos for the group. I¡¯ll send them to you later. Oh my God seriously, it was like a dream ~¡±


    ¡°Well, Wenxing did break up with her,¡± Bai Yue said, feigning light-heartedness. ¡°She must have suffered so much! The Qiao Family must have wanted to make it up to her with this engagement party, or it would just have been too sad.¡±


    Her coworker choked, not knowing what to say.


    Eldest Miss Han lived a life that they couldn¡¯t even dream about. The engagement ring on her hand was as big as a pigeon egg, and her engagement ceremony had been incredibly luxurious and utterly romantic. The number of guests who had attended were as many as the clouds in the sky, and all of them prominent and important figures. A great many celebrities had boasted of being invited. Though her coworker racked her brains, she couldn¡¯t think of anything to pity.


    She could only change the subject. ¡°What about you? How are you doing now? When will you and Chief Qiao get married?¡±


    Bai Yue at once said happily and sweetly, ¡°Oh, we¡¯re in no hurry. I¡¯m only twenty-two, and Wenxing has only just become independent. He wants to concentrate on his business right now, so all I want to do is to help him out. We can talk about getting married later.¡±


    Though Bai Yue was unaware of this, on the other side of the phone, her coworker¡¯s lips were pursed. In their former General Office, Bai Yue had had the most ordinary education and the least workload, yet she had always been the slowest and most inefficient. However, everyone knew that she was Qiao Wenxing¡¯s little junior for whom exceptions should be made, and that Young Master Qiao gave her special treatment. So everyone tacitly turned a blind eye. Not only did they go out of their way to help out Bai Yue at work, but they complimented her from time to time.


    It seemed that she hadn¡¯t yet figured this out. Did she really think that she was that great woman standing behind a great man?


    The call ended, and Bai Yue leafed through the photos her colleague had sent. Though it was just an engagement ceremony, it was far bigger than she could imagine. The more she looked, the wider her eyes became.


    Eventually, she couldn¡¯t help herself and showed the photos to Qiao Wenxing, but all he said was ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve hurt her,¡± Bai Yue sighed. ¡°I hope she¡¯ll be happy.¡±


    Qiao Wenxing put his arm around her shoulders and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her. No matter who she¡¯s with, she¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, then I won¡¯t feel so guilty,¡± Bai Yue said on a sigh of relief. She browsed through the photos again. ¡°How grand! It must have cost at least 200,000 to hold such a ceremony.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Amused, Qiao Wenxing burst into laughter. ¡°Her dress alone cost more than that.¡±


    All of a sudden, Bai Yue felt a little suffocated.


    She realized that until now, she had had nothing.


    Qiao Wenxing had used give her a few gifts, all of them luxuries she couldn¡¯t afford. She had thought they were all incredibly lavish, but now she was finding out that ¡°expensive¡± was a very subjective word. What was extravagant to her was not necessarily expensive to another.


    At the very least, it was certainly not expensive to Han Yanyan.


    She stared at the pictures, especially at the ring the size of a pigeon egg on Han Yanyan¡¯s finger. Finally, she couldn¡¯t help but quietly look into the price of the ring on the Internet.


    The long string of numbers once again suffocated Bai Yue.

 Chapter 25.1

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so anxious,¡± Bai Yue reassured herself. ¡°When this period of time is over, Han Yanyan may have everything there is to have in the world, but at the same time, she¡¯s lost.¡±


    She had lived very frugally until Qiao Wenxing had taken her to his side after her graduation, and only very slightly exposed to luxury. Qiao Wenxing had not bought things for her to show off his wealth, but instead because he appreciated Bai Yue¡¯s carefree indifference to fame and fortune. In his eyes, her simplicity was a sort of beauty.


    He had bought her those things purely because he had seen them, liked them and thought that they might be suitable for her. They were objects given with affection, and not worth a great deal.


    Before their showdown with Han Yanyan, Qiao Wenxing and Bai Yue had also been very low-key. He had never taken her to any important occasion, so she had never had a chance to mix in with the upper-crust. Now that she wanted to do so, she found that those people like Han Yanyan had more money than an ordinary person like herself knew what to do with.


    After she and Qiao Wenxing became a thing, her life had become much better than that of her colleagues and classmates. Most of her classmates had to have housemates, and they often complained about their excellent roommates and wonderful landlords in the class group chat. But as for her, not even speaking of D City, but in M City too, Qiao Wenxing had rented out a high-end apartment for her, the price of which she didn¡¯t even dare to think about. She had always felt that life was good.


    Until she saw the engagement ceremony between Han Yanyan and Qiao Chengyu.


    This was an engagement, not even a marriage, yet it was grand and gorgeous enough to suffocate her. It was almost impossible to keep her former indifference toward wealth. However, Bai Yue was not straightforward enough to express her feelings openly. Instead, she hoped that Qiao Wenxing would take the initiative to read into them and figure them out.


    Unfortunately, Qiao Wenxing no longer had time to take care of her inexplicable little emotions. He was having a hard time getting his business off the ground, and was too busy to coax her.


    Whenever he encountered difficulty with money, the only one he could call was his mother.


    Although they had had a big fight, he was still her only child, and she was still his own mother. There were no grudges held between them. It had always been Mother Qiao who would secretly support him behind Father Qiao¡¯s back.


    Qiao Wenxing only had his mother because he he had found that his former ¡°friends¡± wouldn¡¯t lend him money. They had a myriad of excuses why not, and he couldn¡¯t refute any of them.


    Some of them said, ¡°Yanyan is my friend, too, and you dumped her. I can¡¯t lend you anything for her sake.¡±


    Some of them said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, your dad put the word out. Whoever dares to lend you money or work with you will be cut off from him. My dad told me not to give you anything at all. It¡¯s your dad¡¯s fault, not mine.¡±


    So Qiao Wenxing could only reluctantly contact Mother Qiao.


    If he wanted money, he had to endure Mother Qiao¡¯s crying and nagging, and her rain of curses upon Bai Yue. When they had arrived in M City, Qiao Wenxing had had Bai Yue change her phone number, so as to protect her from being contacted by Mother Qiao. As a man, he couldn¡¯t have her be insulted because of him.


    Now she was here, living with him in a shabby little apartment. He was taking advantage of her, yet she never complained, and she looked very happy so long as she was by his side. When Qiao Wenxing watched her busying herself in their kitchen, his heart softened.


    So when Bai Yue said her parents were coming to visit, he didn¡¯t see anything wrong with that.


    But he hadn¡¯t expected her parents to stay with them in their apartment. It was quite awkward, but he wasn¡¯t a stingy man. After all, he wasn¡¯t often home during the day and usually came back late at night. In addition, her parents were very affectionate to him and extremely grateful for his previous help. He just couldn¡¯t get used to them living there, but he couldn¡¯t say anything ¨C he was an adult, and it would be stingy of him to care about something like that.


    But all the extra goings-on in the apartment still made him uncomfortable. He started coming home later. Fortunately, Bai Yue seemed to notice and persuaded her parents to go home, so they were only there for a week. When they left, Qiao Wenxing felt much relieved.


    But Qiao Wenxing and Bai Yue hadn¡¯t anticipated how shocked the Bai family parents were at their apartment. They have never seen such a huge apartment, so richly decorated and elegantly furnished. And in such a big house lived only Qiao Wenxing and Bai Yue alone!


    So that weekend, the sleepy Bai Yue was dumbfounded to receive a phone call from the apartment security guard, saying that someone who claimed to be her brother was visiting.


    Brother Bai came in, dragging a suitcase behind him, and when he saw Qiao Wenxing he called him ¡°brother-in-law¡± very affectionately. At a loss, Bai Yue asked him what he was doing here, and Younger Brother Bai replied, ¡°Oh, mom and dad said that you guys¡¯ place is huge, and it¡¯s just the two of you! You must be so lonely, so they had me come over and keep you company.¡±


    Bai Yue felt dizzy.


    ¡°Brother-in-law,¡± said Brother Bai, ¡°My parents said that you started a company, and you¡¯re the boss. Won¡¯t you please give me a job? I don¡¯t need anything too big, just a managerial role will do.¡±


    Qiao Wenxing frowned. He knew that Bai Yue¡¯s younger brother was merely a highschool graduate. What could he contribute to the company? And to simply ask for a managerial role like that? But he glanced at Bai Yue¡¯s embarrassed, fearful expression and endured.


    ¡°You know what the company¡¯s situation is like,¡± Qiao Wenxing told her, ¡°At best, I can only give your brother a low-level position. If he does well, we can speak later about whether or not he can be promoted to manager. He can stay with us for a few days until he settles in.¡±


    Bai Yue knew the situation they were in and did not dare ask for more, but worried about what Qiao Wenxing meant by ¡®staying for a few days¡¯. She let her brother know the news, but when he heard that he was only to be in a sales position, he turned up his nose at it rather rudely. ¡°Isn¡¯t brother-in-law in charge of the company?  run by her brother-in-law? He could have easily made me a manager! ¡±


    ¡°The reason anyone starts a company is to make money,¡± Bai Yue patiently explained. ¡°You¡¯ve got no experience working there, so how could you be a manager? No one would be convinced, and they would accuse your brother-in-law of cronyism. Look at me, aren¡¯t I just a secretary too? If you start from the bottom and do well, you¡¯ll naturally be promoted.¡±


    Brother Bai was forced to unwillingly accept the fact. He had a terrible temper, so Bai Yue didn¡¯t dare bring up the topic of having him move out to live alone.


    On his first day at work, Brother Bai announced to one and all his status as the brother-in-law of the boss. His colleagues all looked at each other, and his manager went to Qiao Wenxing to ask how to proceed. Qiao Wenxing frowned. ¡°I¡¯m paying him to work. Do  whatever needs to be done.¡±


    Back when he still had the enormous Qiao Company, Qiao Wenxing didn¡¯t really care much about raising a few idle souls. But now he had nothing. In this office, the only one he could tolerate not working was Bai Yue alone. No one else was worthy of freeloading off his efforts.


    However, Brother Bai was used lazing around at home. He had worked before, but none of his jobs had ever lasted long. He had imagined living a comfortable life by sponging off his rich brother-in-law, but his manager had actually dared assign him work. Every word out of his mouth was a complaint.


    Therefore, Bai Yue talked to his manager privately. Although she was soft and tactful, the meaning of what she said was completely contrary to what Qiao Wenxing had said. She hoped that the manager would turn a blind eye to her brother and be tolerant of his gaffes. The manager understood. From that day on, he only gave Brother Bai make-work.

 Chapter 25.2

    But Brother Bai was not satisfied with the way things were. His title was salesman, but he wasn¡¯t an office worker. While his colleagues were out working, he was playing video games comfortably in Qiao Wenxing and Bai Yue¡¯s apartment.


    Eventually, Qiao Wenxing asked Bai Yue if she had found a place for her brother. Bai Yue hedged around the answer for a while before saying pathetically, ¡°My brother hasn¡¯t been away from home much, and I¡¯m not at ease having him live alone. Won¡¯t you please let him stay for a while?¡±


    Brother Bai generally hid in his room playing games all day. His absence made him not as intrusive as his parents, so though Qiao Wenxing felt a little uncomfortable, he gave in upon seeing the look on Bai Yue¡¯s face.


    By this time, he had been gone from D City for six or seven months. His business was gradually setting itself on the right track, but he was incredibly busy, with no extra energy to waste on taking care of his brother-in-law.


    But right then, his mother suddenly called and informed him that she was cutting him off. Shocked, Qiao Wenxing inquired, ¡°Why?¡±


    This time, Mother Qiao was firm. ¡°I was wrong at the beginning. I shouldn¡¯t have given you any money at all. If you¡¯d had nothing, you would have come back long ago instead of letting that bastard get his foot in the door! If things go on like this, he¡¯s going to take away your status as heir!¡±


    Qiao Wenxing found this unbelievable. ¡°There¡¯s no way that will happen, is there? Dad doesn¡¯t like him at all. He¡¯s just trying to make me submit.¡±


    ¡°Whether he likes him or not, that¡¯s still his own son! Just like you! And he¡­¡±


    Mother Qiao couldn¡¯t go on. It was just too difficult for a mother to admit that her husband¡¯s illegitimate child was actually better than her own son.


    She gritted her teeth. ¡°Your father has already brought him into contact with core management! He¡¯s formidable, and particularly good at winning people over!¡±


    His mother was describing the fact that other people recognized that illegitimate child¡¯s ability by saying that ¡°he was good at winning people over¡±. Qiao Wenxing was her son, and he read her subtle meaning between the lines. His heart began feeling uneasy.


    There could only be one heir. A family¡¯s inheritance, assets and power should not be divided and spread out. The one named heir would inherit the vast majority, and any other people would only drink the soup.


    Would Father really give up on him?


    That day, Qiao Wenxing asked Bai Yue, ¡°If I don¡¯t inherit the Qiao Family, what would you do?¡±


    ¡°What would I do?¡± Bai Yue asked, surprised, ¡°I¡¯ll be with you, of course.¡±


    Qiao Wenxing felt a little relieved.


    ¡°My parents taught me from an early age that ¡®good girls don¡¯t wear a wedding dress1¡¯,¡± Bai Yue said. ¡°When I was in college, I stopped getting a allowance from my parents, and I worked to earn my own living expenses. If I could do that, then of course you can too, you¡¯re so amazing~¡±


    He was used to Bai Yue¡¯s worship by now. But this time, he only gave her a small smile. He could no longer say the phrase ¡°I¡¯m not as good as you think I am.¡±


    Thanks to this, he had another fierce quarrel with his mother. Eventually, he hung up the phone and refused to answer her calls once more. Their relationship fell back down below zero.


    Qiao Wenxing was thankful that Mother Qiao had only cut him off after he had begun making a profit. He was a little nervous, but he couldn¡¯t stop now, for he had become very attached to his little company. After all, he had built it up, every little part of it, through his own painstaking effort.


    A month later, his home computer suddenly caught a virus, causing him to lose some important documents. When he investigated, it turned out that unbeknownst to him, Brother Bai had been playing video games on his high-profile computer and gotten it infected.


    Qiao Wenxing was furious. He had never had to share his own belongings, especially not something as important and private as a personal computer. Brother Bai had now been there for almost two months, and Qiao Wenxing¡¯s patience with him had reached its limit.


    He ordered Bai Yue to move her brother out immediately. She agreed, pale-faced, and rented a small apartment for her brother before moving him out. Brother Bai was tired of Qiao Wenxing¡¯s attitude towards him in any case. He was happy enough to move out and live alone.


    Anyway Bai Yue was paying the rent.


    But Father and Mother Bai still called Bai Yue up in a rage. Their apartment was huge, why wasn¡¯t there enough room for one little boy?!


    And on top of that, the place Bai Yue had rented for her brother wasn¡¯t a high-class apartment. It was not even a house. It was just an old, broken down place! Father and Mother Bai were angriest at the fact that Bai Yue, the sister, was living a comfortable life, while her younger brother wasn¡¯t.


    Bai Yue couldn¡¯t gainsay her parents, and when she finally hung up the phone, she wept. But her brother had been the cause of this problem, so she didn¡¯t dare to tell Qiao Wenxing. She could only take it, and be depressed. Meanwhile, Qiao Wenxing was busier than ever. He no longer had the time to pamper her and coax her like before, which frustrated Bai Yue.


    During this busy time, several laptops were stolen from the company. Qiao Wenxing called the police, who nabbed the culprit easily.


    Brother Bai cried bitterly at the police station. ¡°This is my sister¡¯s company! She won¡¯t care if I take a few laptops. If you find my sister, she¡¯ll tell you that!¡±


    Listening outside, Bai Yue nearly fainted. Qiao Wenxing looked pale.


    Brother Bai liked playing video games, and he wanted money to change into virtual game currency. But since he hadn¡¯t enough money in real life for that, he had thought of stealing from the company. It wasn¡¯t his first time taking a few little things to sell, but prior to this they had all been worthless gadgets, so his colleagues had turned a blind eye. Anyway, the company belonged to the boss, and this is the boss¡¯s brother-in-law, so it was staying in the family, wasn¡¯t it?


    Who would have thought that he would dare to steal four or five laptops all at once, all of them full of proprietary company documents?


    Qiao Wenxing looked over the financial report. He called Bai Yue to the office, pointed at the rent they were reimbursing for Brother Bai, and gave her an order. ¡°Tell him to go back to where he came from!¡±


    The gentleman had finally lost his temper.


    Bai Yue¡¯s tears began to flow.

 Chapter 26.1

    Qiao Wenxing didn¡¯t press charges, but Brother Bai was sent home in a dingy manner with all his belongings. Bai Yue¡¯s parents flew into a rage, and showered Bai Yue with curses over the phone, along with expressing their great dissatisfaction with Qiao Wenxing.


    ¡°And Wenxing too! How can he be so petty with his brother-in-law over a few computers? How dare he call the police?!¡± They were utterly furious.


    When Bai Yue tried to explain that her brother was in the wrong, she was scolded. In the end, she could only listen silently to her parents¡¯ accusations, tears in her eyes.


    Finally, her parents asked, ¡°When are you getting married?¡±


    Bai Yue wiped her tears and said, ¡°The business is still just starting up, and I¡¯m still young, so we¡­¡±


    ¡°What! He obviously doesn¡¯t want to marry you at all! Tell him that our daughter isn¡¯t just some plaything! ¡±


    No matter how Bai Yue explained, her parents couldn¡¯t understand. Hating iron for not being steel, Mother Bai ranted, ¡°You idiot, how could you let him sleep with you then?! But since it¡¯s come to this, find a way to get pregnant! He won¡¯t drag it on if you have a child!¡±


    Mother and Father Bai questioned her again on how much money Qiao Wenxing actually had. They weren¡¯t actually aware of Qiao Wenxing¡¯s true fortune or family background. When Father Bai had been seriously ill and her family in a mess, Qiao Wenxing had helped him out. They only knew that from there that Qiao Wenxing was Bai Yue¡¯s senior from school, the boss of a company, and from a very good family.


    Even if Bai Yue didn¡¯t know it herself, she was instinctively guarded around her parents.


    But she was now really thinking about getting married.


    Once upon a time, she had lived every day like in a fairy tale. Qiao Wenxing was her brilliant Prince Charming, and she, a rescued Cinderella. She had thought that they would live happily ever after. But after experiencing the issues with her parents and younger brother, she felt like she had stepped once more on the ground of reality. Reality was not a fairy tale. Reality was far more harsh.


    Qiao Wenxing had been very angry with her this time, for the very first time, and Bai Yue was both panicked and frightened. There seemed to be a crack running through her happiness, and a haze  clouding her future.


    She tried to talk to Qiao Wenxing about it. He frowned. ¡°Right now I can¡¯t give you anything or get married.¡± He finished to see Bai Yue¡¯s lost eyes looking at him, and his heart melted. Taking her into his arms, he kissed her softly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s take our time and wait for my parents to accept you¡­¡±


    But would the Qiao parents ever accept her? What if they never did? Bai Yue was at a loss.


    Her mind went round in circles that night, so much so that she couldn¡¯t sleep. In the morning, Qiao Wenxing called her twice before finally saying helplessly, ¡°Forget it, rest at home,¡± and going to the company by myself.


    If this had been in the past, Bai Yue would have turned over and gone back to sleep, her mind at peace. But this time, she felt like his voice was full of disappointment and unhappiness. Even though he had left, she couldn¡¯t sleep, so she rose and took a taxi to work.


    When she arrived at the company, she went to the bathroom before going to the office. Just as she sat down, she heard someone come in and familiar voices talking.


    ¡°The boss¡¯s wife didn¡¯t come in again today?¡±


    ¡°President Qiao said she wasn¡¯t feeling well.¡±


    ¡°Hah, not feeling well. She¡¯s just getting her beauty sleep.¡±


    ¡°Wow, what a a good life.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s hard to say. We all call her the boss¡¯s wife, but she isn¡¯t actually his wife, is she? I¡¯ve been watching, and President Qiao treats her far more coolly than when he first started up the company.¡±


    ¡°He does? I only got hired recently, so I had no idea. Tell me about it. ¡±


    ¡°Back then, the President looked at her like a treasure. He sheltered her and guarded her, he was incredibly careful. Now, well, you can see what it¡¯s like.¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that what falling in love is like? Once the freshness and passion have passed, if he didn¡¯t marry you then, will he marry you now? I feel like President Qiao is probably from a very good family, while the boss¡¯s wife¡­ feels ordinary. ¡±


    ¡°She really is. All she does all day in the office is bring coffee here, bubble tea there, it¡¯s really quite special. She brings him those things and President Qiao doesn¡¯t like them  at all, but she can¡¯t see that he doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that President Qiao is a man who really knows coffee. When she brings him generic store-bought stuff, the boss always makes a face when he drinks it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re totally right, she doesn¡¯t even get it¡­ look how badly the company is currently doing. President Qiao¡¯s financial support is no longer coming in, and the profit margins are tight, yet she lets her brother rent an apartment on the company¡¯s account. And when it comes to work, what¡¯s she even good at? When President Qiao asks her for data, she gives him some useless crap. You can see him taking a deep breath and swallowing down ugly words¡­¡±


    The two women continued chatting as they left.


    Sitting on the toilet, Bai Yue¡¯s face was pale.


    Though Qiao Wenxing might not generally notice the little emotional changes Bai Yue went through, he couldn¡¯t help but notice how she was suddenly changing. All of a sudden, she discarded her former delicate, lazy manner and became interested in the company. She no longer brought him those little headache-inducing sentimental gifts that he could never turn down, and instead began working hard.


    He was very pleased.


    It was exhausting to fight alone, especially when one¡¯s partner was simply lying around, enjoying the results. He had never expected her to make great achievements, but inside, he had always hoped that she would at least understand his current situation, instead of taking it easy.


    Bai Yue didn¡¯t realize how great the gap was between her and the others until she got serious.


    She was actually not at all a lazy girl. From an early age, her parents had impressed upon her that a good girl was self-reliant, and that as the eldest daughter she should take care of both herself and her younger brother. She had been a very diligent child, and had earned her own college tuition and living expenses by working part-time while in school.


    However, as soon as she graduated, she had met Qiao Wenxing. He had pampered her sweetly every day, bought lovely things for her, and every other girl around her had flattered her generously. Before she knew it, her hardworking self had slipped away. She felt like Qiao Wenxing could take care of anything. Even if the sky was falling, he would be there with a solution.


    But as it turned out, her Prince Charming was also mortal. There were times when he was tired and bored, too.


    Concerned, she inquired at the finance department. Since she was ¡°the boss¡¯s wife,¡± they didn¡¯t hide anything from her, and she found out that Qiao Wenxing had been receiving financial support from his mother. Now that the steady stream of funding had ceased, he was on his own.


    Somehow, deep inside her, Bai Yue was faintly disappointed in Qiao Wenxing. He no longer seemed as great as she had once thought. His omnipotent Prince Charming aura was fading away.


    But she also finally came to understand the pressure he was under and his current economic situation, and in doing so rectified her past mistakes and tried wholeheartedly to be an excellent partner to him. For awhile she performed very well, and when she saw how the smile on Qiao Wenxing¡¯s face had softened when he looked at her, she felt like she was doing the right thing.

 Chapter 26.2

    Qiao Wenxing had recently found a big customer, and of late he had been going out more often, wining and dining them. He had now come home a few times with the obvious smell of perfume on his body. Bai Yue had asked him about it, but both physically and mentally exhausted, Qiao Wenxing had merely brushed it off with a few words. Desperate to ask in more detail but afraid to ask at the same time, Bai Yue felt depressed.


    Eventually, Qiao Wenxing began introducing members of his company to the customer. Since Bai Yue had been actively involved with work for some time, she was one of them. Everything was going well, but from time to time the customer would stare at her. He was a fat middle-aged boss with large a paunch, and Bai Yue felt extremely uncomfortable with his gaze on her, but since she knew that his business was very important to Qiao Wenxing, she kept it quiet and endured.


    Business was talked about, the customer was invited to dinner and agreed, and as Qiao Wenxing¡¯s people, his assistant, business manager and Bai Yue followed.


    At the dinner table, it became known that Bai Yue and Qiao Wenxing were lovers. The fat boss smiled, his eyes narrowing until they could no longer be seen, and complimented, ¡°what a good wife!¡±. It was music to Bai Yue¡¯s ears. After dinner, somehow not exhausted, the customer wanted to go to karaoke. Since the two girls, Qiao Wenxing¡¯s assistant and Bai Yue were in attendance, they did not call any escorts over, but simply drank to their hearts content.


    At the dinner table, Qiao Wenxing had been called upon to toast a great deal, and he had also drank a lot in the private karaoke room. He had once been a gentleman, and he had drank like one. Not until he came to M City had he learned to drink so fiercely. At last, he bolted to the bathroom to throw up, and washed his face afterward to sober up a little. But when he went back to the room, he saw his assistant standing outside, looking a little embarrassed.


    ¡°Xiao Feng, what¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked.


    Xiao Feng looked incredibly embarrassed and faltered, not knowing what to say. She was a highly capable girl, and Qiao Wenxing had always felt that he never paid her enough for what she was worth. When he saw this rare expression on her face, he suddenly realized exactly what was wrong, and he slammed open the door to the private room.


    That greasy, fat boss was clinging to Bai Yue, one enormous paw around her shoulders, and the other kneading her fair, tender little hand. Although Bai Yue¡¯s smile was reluctant, she wasn¡¯t struggling. The people who had come with the client were laughing sleazily, while his people looked embarrassed.


    No wonder Assistant Feng, a girl herself, had hidden outside!


    Qiao Wenxing¡¯s stomach was already agitated, and he nearly threw up upon seeing this scene. Fire nearly coming out of his ears, he strode over and flung Bai Yue aside. Before the fat boss could react, he raised his fist.


    A great commotion ensued.


    Finally, the karaoke club manager had to step in to mediate. Both sides were ashamed of themselves and chose not to call the police. But that fat boss, who had been beaten black and blue, left angry words in his wake. Their big order had flown away, and the efforts of the last two months had all been in vain.


    Bai Yue wept like a pear flower covered in rain. Qiao Wenxing had yelled at her, ¡°Xiao Feng knew enough to hide. Why don¡¯t you know how to take care of yourself?!¡±


    ¡°He, he¡¯s a big customer, and I¨C I¡ª for the company¡­¡± she cried.


    She had been molested, and it had been disgusting, but this customer had been so important to Qiao Wenxing that she had gritted her teeth and endured. But the result had been not only a loss to them, but Qiao Wenxing was also so angry. He had never before been so drunk and angry, and she was terrified.


    When Qiao Wenxing heard this, his eyes turned black in anger. Since when had he needed his own woman to sell herself for his sake? He felt like he could hardly communicate with Bai Yue.


    ¡°I¨C I was just trying to help¡­¡± Bai Yue said through tears.


    Qiao Wenxing¡¯s people had retreated, embarrassed, outside of the private room, and only he and her were left inside. But his roar could be clearly heard through the door.


    ¡°Help me?! Do you think you¡¯re helping me? Look at what you¡¯ve done!¡± he berated her. ¡°If you want to help, be more like Xiao Feng! Help me by not making data errors all day!¡±


    There was a sudden hush in the room before the sound of Bai Yue¡¯s whimpers came. Assistant Feng and the manager looked at each other awkwardly, pretending not to hear.


    Less than half an hour after this happened, Han Yanyan knew about it.


    When she answered the phone, she was having a romantic dinner by candlelight in an elegant restaurant, a piano playing in the background. Both she and Qiao Chengyu answered their phones at the same time. One call was from the fat boss and the other from Assistant Feng.


    ¡°I did as you asked, and he couldn¡¯t take it. He blew up.¡± The fat boss had lost the swagger he had had in front of Qiao Wenxing. His tone as he reported to Han Yanyan was deferential.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard,¡± she said.


    ¡°Not at all, not at all. It¡¯s I who must thank Eldest Miss for having given me this opportunity. You can rest assured that the quality and quantity of this order are guaranteed,¡± replied the fat boss.


    ¡°Great. So long as you can guarantee the quality, the contract is yours,¡± Han Yanyan promised him.


    Qiao Chengyu took the phone call from Assistant Feng. He had sent her to Qiao Wenxing. How else would Qiao Wenxing have been able to keep such a capable person on such meager wages?


    By the time he hung up the phone, he was aware of the entire situation. Saying nothing, he stared at Han Yanyan.


    She looked up to see that strange look in his eye. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Not speaking, Qiao Chengyu studied her in silence. Suddenly it clicked, and she laughed. ¡°Are you jealous?¡±


    She smiled and took his hand. Her gaze was soft. ¡°Little fool.¡±


    Qiao Chengyu was very well aware that there was no affection between Han Yanyan and Qiao Wenxing, yet he was still jealous.  is, he eats vinegar. But when she laughed again, arrogant and charming, his unhappiness dissolved.


    ¡°Are you going to break them up?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No.¡± She took a sip of red wine, ¡°It¡¯s just for fun. When life becomes too easy, I just add some spice to their relationship. ¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget what you promised.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she asked, slightly startled.


    ¡°A bottom line,¡± Qiao Chengyu answered.


    Han Yanyan rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if your brother went bankrupt, it¡¯s not like he¡¯ll have nowhere to turn. When he really becomes broke, he¡¯ll go home.¡±


    At the moment, the waitress who was serving them slipped, spilling a whole bowl of oxtail soup. It was fortunate that no one was burned, but Han Yanyan¡¯s bag was ruined.


    The waitress had seen many luxury items while working at this high-end restaurant, and she had a rough idea of the price of the bag. Even just cleaning would likely cost her a month¡¯s salary.


    Her face turned pale.

 Chapter 27.1

    When the manager was called, the little waitress was scared into tears.


    But when they spoke about compensation, Eldest Miss Han waved her hand indifferently. ¡°Forget it. Just be more careful next time.¡± Both the manager and the waitress bowed and thanked her repeatedly, flattering her a good deal before leaving.


    Although the handbag had been cleaned with paper towels and a damp cloth, it could no longer be used as it was. Instead, Han Yanyan called Uncle Chen and had him send a new one. When she hung the phone back up and looked up, Qiao Chengyu was gazing at her, a gentle smile in his eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Han Yanyan asked.


    ¡°I just suddenly wanted those people who talk about how arrogant and proud the Han family¡¯s Eldest Miss is to see how easygoing our Eldest Miss really is.¡±


    Han Yanyan rolled her eyes at him.


    Ever since this man had proposed to her and she had accepted, it seemed as though some layer of ice inside him had been broken. Before her, he no longer looked solemn, though of course in public he was still that cold-as-ice Qiao family elite, the current favourite to succeed the family.


    She liked it. His gentle, smiling appearance belonged only to her, and how he looked when he was wild and unbridled, only she knew.


    She liked him the most when he was sweating on top of her, riding the ups and downs together.


    Uncle Chen soon sent her another handbag, exactly the same as the first but in a different colour. The original was sent to a shop specialized in cleaning.


    When the two of them got back into the car, Qiao Chengyu looked at the handbag on her lap and asked casually, ¡°Why do women love this brand?¡±


    Han Yanyan stroked the metal buckle with her fingers. ¡°Because it¡¯s classic.¡±


    The topic passed in one sentence, but at the traffic intersection, Qiao Chengyu inadvertently caught a glimpse of her downcast eyes and fingers still unconsciously still running over the metal buckle, as if in a trance.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked. ¡°You seem out of it.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Han Yanyan said, coming back to her senses. After a while, she asked, ¡°Do you know the history of these brands?¡±


    Qiao Chengyu followed her gaze. The street they were on was a prosperous one, both sides of the road lined with famous shops, each enormous sign shining out the name of their brand. ¡°I don¡¯t really follow this sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°Each one has a long history, and each brand has its own story,¡± Han Yanyan sighed softly. ¡°And I¡¯m familiar with every one¡­¡±


    Han Yanyan came from a wealthy family. Though such branded goods might be expensive luxuries for ordinary women, they were just everyday items for her. Of course she would be familiar with them. Qiao Chengyu scratched his head in puzzlement at this baffling speech.


    At the next red light, he glanced at her again to find her hand still gently stroking the metal buckle of her handbag. The buckle was in the shade of the brand logo.


    Qiao Chengyu¡¯s eyes drifted to Han Yanyan¡¯s face. In the dim car, her eyes were unfocused and her mouth unsmiling. She gazed at the enormous logos of those branded stores with an incomprehensible isolation and indifference.


    He somehow felt that she was very alien to him at that moment, as if she was no longer the Eldest Miss Han that he knew well and loved deeply, but another, completely different woman.


    It must be an illusion.


    Bai Yue was pregnant.


    This could actually be traced back to Han Yanyan.


    Bai Yue and Qiao Wenxing were still unmarried, and it was impossible for them to plan to have a child. The most important thing right now was for Qiao Wenxing to make his own independent achievements and prove himself to Father and Mother Qiao.


    Han Yanyan had had someone strike up a conversation with Brother Bai in the Internet caf¨¦ where he spent his days. They became video game buddies, and one day, he had casually pointed at the page of an entertainment news website and said to Brother Bai, ¡°Shit, if we could live like this, then life wouldn¡¯t have been a waste of time.¡±


    The article covered Han Yanyan¡¯s engagement to Qiao Chengyu. At first, Brother Bai had just been looking at the picture of the pretty lady, but who would have though? As he scrolled down, what appeared were the photos of his ¡°brother-in-law¡±. Once Qiao Wenxing¡¯s family history was known to the Bai family, Father and Mother Bai immediately called Bai Yue and questioned her. She confirmed the truth.


    ¡°He fell out with his parents because of me,¡± she said, downcast, ¡°He can¡¯t go home anymore.¡±


    Father and Mother Bai suddenly changed their attitudes. Although they had mentioned marriage in the past, they had only gone so far as berating Bai Yue, and had not actually forced her to do so. Qiao Wenxing was still an entrepreneur just starting out. Afraid that he might fail and go bankrupt, they wanted him to expand before they were willing to allow their daughter to marry him.


    But now that he had turned out to be the young master of a rich family, Father and Mother Bai wanted Bai Yue to marry him as quickly as possible. Wasn¡¯t he just a kid having a fight with his parents? He would have to go home sooner or later, and when he did, who would care about this current tiny company? The Bai parents and Brother Bai had already looked the Qiao family up on the Internet. The Qiao family group was enormous! Oh my goodness, more money than anyone could spend in a lifetime!


    Mother Bai had chanted incessantly in Bai Yue¡¯s ear ever since.


    ¡°If you wait too long he won¡¯t want to get married! The novelty will wear off!¡±


    ¡°Who cares about a wedding ceremony! Get the certificate first!¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to? That¡¯s no good! Then first have a baby! Even if you¡¯re not married, so long as you have a child the family will have to contribute child support to a grandson! Then you¡¯ll at least have money!¡±


    Ever since she had ¡®sacrificed¡¯ herself, resulting in Qiao Wenxing beating up a customer and losing a big order, Qiao Wenxing had been much colder to her. For the last half-month, Bai Yue had been on tenterhooks. She had never really been a very strong-willed woman, and coming in a state where she was confused, panicked and scared about her future with Qiao Wenxing, Mother Bai¡¯s ¡®persuasion¡¯ eventually brainwashed her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll try,¡± she said.


    Two months later, she saw two red lines show up on a pregnancy test.


    At a time when Qiao Wenxing was burning the candle at both ends for work, he suddenly found out that Bai Yue had became pregnant. It was not good news for him. He wondered how she had gotten pregnant when they had used birth control every time. It was said that condoms had a 3% probability of failure, but no man ever thought that he would be part of the unlucky 3%.


    It never once crossed his mind that Bai Yue might have sabotaged the condoms. But in short, she was now pregnant. Qiao Wenxing was both caught off guard and annoyed.


    But since Bai Yue assured him repeatedly that she didn¡¯t care about having a formal wedding, they got a marriage certificate together quietly. When she compared it to with Han Yanyan and Qiao Chengyu¡¯s grand engagement ceremony, Bai Yue felt inside as though she had swallowed some bitter fruit. But she had planted that bitter fruit herself, so she could only swallow it silently and let it rot in her stomach.

 Chapter 27.2

    When Han Yanyan received a phone call report, her red lips curved.


    ¡°Not quite enough yet. We need a little more drama,¡± she said as she hung up the phone. Her slender, crimson-painted toes tickled Qiao Chengyu¡¯s sturdy chest.


    Qiao Chengyu shook his head, smiling, grabbed her slender ankle and dragged her over to face him.


    ¡°When will you become heir?¡± Han Yanyan asked, groaning.


    ¡°Soon,¡± Qiao Chengyu promised, taking her lovely figure into his arms, dazzled.


    ¡°Soon,¡± Qiao Wenxing promised Bai Yue. ¡°Once we win this client, I¡¯ll set aside funds to buy us an apartment.¡±


    Bai Yue¡¯s pregnancy had smoothed over the past incident. She had married him without even a wedding banquet, without her in-laws in attendance. Only her parents and younger brother had come to have dinner with them. It was such a shabby turnout that one could have cried. Qiao Wenxing was an easygoing, soft-tempered man, and feeling like he had wronged Bai Yue, wanted to compensate her somehow.


    Bai Yue had listened to her mother and conceived a child. Not only had Qiao Wenxing¡¯s heart come back to her, but she had even married him. The guilt in her heart had been crushed by sweet joy. But before Qiao Wenxing could get his client, her parents came.


    ¡°I¨C I¡¯ve been throwing up so much lately that I can¡¯t eat. Mom and dad came over to take care of me,¡± Bai Yue said, a little uneasy.


    Qiao Wenxing didn¡¯t like Bai Yue¡¯s parents, but upon hearing this, he relented, agreeing to Father and Mother Bai living with them to take care of Bai Yue. He didn¡¯t know that it was Han Yanyan who had had Brother Bai¡¯s ¡®buddy¡¯ buy off the Bai Family¡¯s relatives and friends, who had then proceeded to persuade Mother and Father Bai that Bai Yue¡¯s pregnancy was their chance, and suggested that they go over to care for her.


    Compared to the last time they had met, the Bai parents¡¯ were warmer to him this time. They flattered him a little, and some expectations were in their eyes. Ever since he was a child, Qiao Wenxing had been surrounded by similar attitudes, and inevitably, he once again began feeling crowded and unhappy in his own home. But Bai Yue was pregnant, and she had always been emotional and sentimental, so he still made an effort to go home on time to spend some time with her.


    Father and Mother Bai were very careful at first, but slowly they began to relax. More and more, they began urging Qiao Wenxing to go home.


    ¡°Father and son should hold grudges. You should go home and tell your father you¡¯ve made a mistake. We could all be a happy family.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re married yet we haven¡¯t even met our in-laws, outrageous. Why don¡¯t you bring Yueyue back with you? Maybe your parents will agree once they see how happy the two of you are together.¡±


    ¡°After all, you¡¯ve got a child together and you¡¯re married. Even if they didn¡¯t like the idea at first, they¡¯ll have to agree to the marriage now.¡±


    Father and Mother Bai had simple, beautiful thoughts.


    These were his father and and mother-in-law. If it had only been said once or twice, Qiao Wenxing would have endured. But when said too many times, he could no longer bear it.


    He tightened his grip on his chopsticks, unable to eat any more. Mother Bai didn¡¯t notice, prattling on endlessly. Bai Yue pulled at her sleeve several times, and annoyed, she pulled herself free and smacked Bai Yue¡¯s hand.


    With a loud ¡®clack¡¯, Qiao Wenxing put down his chopsticks. Startled, Mother Bai¡¯s garrulous rambling came to an abrupt end.


    ¡°If I return right now, not only will my parents force Bai Yue to have an abortion, but they will also make me divorce her,¡± he said coldly. ¡°Afterward, you probably won¡¯t ever see me again.¡±


    ¡°No way,¡± Mother Bai said disbelievingly. ¡°This is their daughter-in-law and grandson!¡±


    Qiao Wenxing gave her a look. ¡°In elementary school, my half-brother was sent to a boarding school. In middle school he was sent abroad. He never saw his biological mother again.¡±


    Dumbfounded, Mother Bai dared say nothing more.


    Qiao Wenxing once again became reluctant to go home. Several times he had come home late to find that Bai Yue had cried. When he asked her what was wrong, she would not tell him. Qiao Wenxing knew it must be her parents again, but she was very dedicated to protecting her family, so after she had refused to tell him a few times, he stopped asking.


    Business had not gone smoothly lately either. Not only had Qiao Wenxing lost several customers, but the big client the he had had high hopes for hadn¡¯t returned. Chinese New Year was approaching, and he wanted to win that one big client to set them up well for the year, but it seemed like storm clouds were on the horizon. Finances once again became tight at the company, and his promise of buying an apartment for Bai Yue fell through. But how could he tell her when faced with her expectant eyes?


    Then came an even heavier blow, from news that his old friends in D City scrambled over each other to tell him about ¨C Chairman Qiao had announced that he was stepping down, and that Qiao Chengyu would be taking over his post.


    Qiao Wenxing turned pale. He was in utter disbelief. Father Qiao had chosen Qiao Chengyu as his successor and given him up. It took him several minutes to get over the feeling of dizziness that assaulted him, but when he did, he called his mother. However, it was his father who answered.


    ¡°Your mother fainted from high blood pressure. She¡¯s now in the hospital. If you still consider yourself my son, come back now, or never come back at all. ¡± Father Qiao hung up.


    Qiao Wenxing staggered back to the apartment in a daze. Standing outside, he heard the quarrel currently going on inside. He now knew why Bai Yue always seemed to be crying ¨C her parents were forcing her to ask him for money and a house.


    They had taught her to be independent and self-reliant ever since she was a child, for fear that a money-losing daughter1 would ask them for money after growing up. But who knew that this money-losing daughter would do better than they had thought? She had actually managed to trap the young master of a wealthy family.


    Once they had dreamed that by being the mother of his child Bai Yue might become a rich young madam, but those hopes had been dashed. So now, her value must be realized as soon as possible. After all, compared with the illusory wealth of a rich family, money and a house were real things that could make one feel at ease once they were in one¡¯s hands. That was all they could think about now.


    Qiao Wenxing listened through the door to her parents¡¯ greed and shamelessness, to Bai Yue¡¯s weak crying and faint resistance. He didn¡¯t want to go in at all. He didn¡¯t want to be the hero who would save her from fire and water and sweep her off her feet. Because the salvation Bai Yue desired was not for him to rush in, push her behind him and protect her from her parents. The salvation she hoped for was for him¡­ to give her parents what they wanted.


    Qiao Wenxing saw it all very clearly.


    He turned and left.

 Chapter 28.1

    Qiao Wenxing walked aimlessly through the cold wind, his mind a mess. Without really planning to, he walked to the convenience store in the street and bought a pack of cigarettes. Standing at the door of the store and lighting up his cigarette, he looked up and saw himself in the glass.


    His hair was messed up by the night wind. He had been too busy to shave, and his clothes were a little sloppy. And to make things worse, he was fat.


    This year he had worked hard in M City, smoking, drinking, socializing, working overtime and staying up late. The fitness habits he had kept up for many years had been disrupted, and he had let them fall by the wayside. Without him even knowing, he had gained weight, his figure out of shape, his face bloated, his whole being crestfallen and downcast, even greasy. He looked like one of those middle-aged white-collar workers squeezing into an elevator in an office building, who were burdened by mortgages and their children¡¯s tuition fees, and exhausted every day.


    Qiao Wenxing was stunned by the sight of himself in the glass.


    How had this happened?


    A year and a half ago, he had been a fit, handsome gentleman from the Qiao Family, sought after by the media together with Han Yanyan as a golden couple, a business elite. How had he¡­ become like this?


    For a moment, he didn¡¯t even know who he was. Why was he even here? Why was he, dignified elegant Young Master Qiao, chasing after other people every day, pleasing and flattering them for a few hundred thousand or a few million¡¯s yuan worth of business? In the past, that hadn¡¯t even been enough for him to go on a trip, or buy a sports car.


    As he simply stood there foolishly, the cigarette he was smoking fell from his mouth to the ground. The clerk noticed that something was wrong. She came over and picked up the cigarette before gently calling out, ¡°Sir? Sir? Are you all right, sir?¡±


    Jolted back to reality by the clerk, Qiao Wenxing gazed at her blankly. A little afraid of this unnatural-looking man, the clerk stepped back quietly and asked in a low voice, ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± answered Qiao Wenxing unconsciously, then paused.


    ¡°I want to go home.¡± He felt like he was suddenly waking up from a long dream. It had been going on long enough. It was time for him to wake up! He stared at the shop assistant and said again abruptly, ¡°I want to go home!¡±


    Flinging open the door of the convenience store, he ran out. Feeling the cold wind outside rush in, the clerk shivered and mumbled, ¡°That guy¡¯s crazy.¡±


    Qiao Wenxing went home.


    He didn¡¯t bring anything with him. Not his clothes, his car, his company, not even his wife and child. He didn¡¯t bring anything, didn¡¯t call anyone. He went straight to the airport alone, bought the next flight out, and flew home.


    It was midnight by the time he got there. Mother Qiao had fainted from high blood pressure during the day and was in the hospital, and her father was not at home. In that big, empty mansion, there was only the housekeeper to take his hand and weep with joy, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±


    The housekeeper had once been his nanny. She had half-raised him, and loved him very much.


    When Qiao Wenxing saw her, he really felt like he had come home. Tears welled up in his eyes. When he asked her about his father and mother, he realized that his mother was still in the hospital and that his father was accompanying her there, so he rushed to the hospital at once. But by the time he got there, his father and mother had already gone to bed. He sat in a chair in the hallway until dawn.


    When Father Qiao saw him, his once-favourite son had sunken eyes and a scraggly beard like a ghost. He had turned himself into this in just one year. Father Qiao was deeply disappointed in him. It was fortunate that he had had another grown son.


    Qiao Wenxing was deeply ashamed of himself. When he made to see his mother. His father stopped him, scolding, ¡°Do you even know what you look like? Are you trying to make your mother even more worried? Go take a shower and change!¡±


    The hospital was an advanced private one, with complete facilities. Qiao Wenxing took a bath and shaved there, and someone sent him clothes from home. Then he hurried in to see his mother, who was both happy and disappointed to see him.


    ¡°What are you doing back now?¡± she fumed.


    Her son has lost his status as heir, and now he would have to live and work on the illegitimate child¡¯s whim. When she thought about it, Mother Qiao¡¯s blood pressure once again rose sharply, throwing the ward into pandemonium.


    Having finally stabilized with difficulty, Mother Qiao said that she didn¡¯t want to see her son for the time being. Outside the ward, Father Qiao told him, ¡°You first go home. Don¡¯t make your mother angry.¡±


    Qiao Wenxing turned in a daze, stopping again when his father called. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Chengyu to come home tonight. The two of you brothers should meet.¡±


    In a daze, Qiao Wenxing went back. It was because of his stupor that he didn¡¯t think that something was off. He hadn¡¯t come home all night, yet Bai Yue hadn¡¯t even called.


    Everything at the family mansion had remained the same as before he left. His brother, younger by only a few months, had not moved in, and the house seemed just like it always had been. When he opened the door to his room, even the decor was untouched. But Qiao Wenxing could feel that everything had changed.


    He lay in bed, thinking about the last year and the long dream. His heart ached. Closing his eyes, he crumpled the shirt at his chest in his fist.

 Chapter 28.2

    Han Yanyan was in her office when this happened. Even Eldest Miss Han had to work. After all, she was the woman who would inherit the entire Han Group.


    All of a sudden she felt like something was off. She rose and dashed out of the office, only to see her secretaries outside sitting at their desks, looking at her in amazement.


    ¡°Chief Han, what¡¯s the matter?¡± they asked.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there an earthquake?¡± Han Yanyan asked, surprised. ¡°It felt like an earthquake to me just now. Didn¡¯t you all feel anything?¡±


    Everyone else shook their heads in unison. Han Yanyan couldn¡¯t believe it. She had felt it very clearly, and she was very sure she hadn¡¯t made a mistake. She called in the janitor, who also shook their head, saying that they hadn¡¯t felt anything.


    Full of doubt, Han Yanyan returned to his office and called Qiao Chengyu. ¡°Did you feel that earthquake just now?¡±


    ¡°Earthquake?¡± Qiao Chengyu asked, puzzled. ¡°Um, no.¡±


    Han Yanyan heard him leaving his office to ask someone else. A little while later, he returned and seemed quiet for a little bit before he said with a smile, ¡°Are you hallucinating because you slept too late last night? I won¡¯t bother you tonight so you can catch up on sleep.¡±


    She made a spitting sound at him. Then suddenly he added, ¡°He came back last night.¡±


    Han Yanyan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t get the news. Why all of a sudden? ¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get the news either,¡± Qiao Chengyu replied, ¡°My father told me to go home tonight to meet him. He probably came back on a whim.¡±


    ¡°And no wonder.¡± Han Yanyan understood. After all, yesterday was the day that the news that Qiao Chengyu was taking over as group president was officially released to the public.


    ¡°The Emperor¡¯s eldest son has returned. Are you afraid, Your Royal Highness?¡± she teased.


    Across the line, she heard Qiao Chengyu¡¯s low laughter. ¡°There are some things that you don¡¯t win by being born first.¡±


    The man was now in high spirits and in his prime, all confident charm. Han Yanyan liked him like this, so such so that she felt like she didn¡¯t need to catch up on sleep. She was young and in good health, and could take a little torment.


    Not long after hanging up the call with Qiao Chengyu, she received a phone call from M City. It was an urgent report from the man she had placed next to Brother Bai.


    ¡°What, Bai Yue?¡± Han Yanyan hadn¡¯t expected something like this to happen and was very surprised. ¡°How is she now? In no danger? How did it happen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. But Brother Bai said that his brother-in-law has disappeared, and they don¡¯t dare contact him,¡± said the man on the other side.


    Oho, how interesting. These people hadn¡¯t yet found out that Qiao Wenxing had gone home.


    ¡°In that case, leave them alone,¡± she told him. ¡°Let¡¯s see how long they can hide what happened from Qiao Wenxing.¡±


    In his father¡¯s study that evening, Qiao Wenxing finally met the half-brother he had always known existed. From Qiao Chengyu¡¯s photos in the news, he knew that they looked similar.


    Before, he had exuded a gentler temperament while his younger brother had felt a little colder, but they had been more or less equal otherwise. Now, however, even freshly bathed and shaved he was visibly fat and flabby, his mind shaken. Next to dashing, sharp-edged Qiao Chengyu, the difference between them was visible at a glance. Qiao Wenxing felt unspeakably frustrated and discouraged.


    ¡°Elder brother,¡± Qiao Chengyu greeted called him


    Qiao Wenxing reluctantly smiled. ¡°Second brother.¡±


    ¡°Assist your younger brother well in the future,¡± in these few words, Father Qiao made clear who would be the monarch, and who the minister.


    ¡°Auntie is in poor health,¡± said Qiao Chengyu. ¡°Elder brother, there¡¯s no hurry. First take care of Auntie, and we can talk about things once she¡¯s better.¡±


    Father Qiao simply nodded. He had already handed over the power decision-making to Qiao Chengyu.


    It was all over but the shouting. In the future, he would be at the mercy of this man. Qiao Wenxing felt dazed and powerless.


    Fortunately, he had to go to the hospital to visit his mother, and Father Qiao didn¡¯t insist on the three of them having dinner together.


    When they emerged from the study, all Qiao Wenxing wanted was to get out quickly. Qiao Chengyu stopped him. ¡°Elder Brother.¡±


    Catching up in two steps, he said, ¡°Yanyan has been very worried about you. Once Auntie gets better, bring sister-in-law home, and four of us can go out to eat something simple together.¡±


    Qiao Wenxing thought of Han Yanyan, his former fiancee, and Bai Yue, his current wife. A little embarrassed, he nodded in agreement. He has been wandering in the world for over a year, and his former pride was now worn away. Before his aggressive half-brother, he was now firmly suppressed.


    On the way to the hospital, he finally remembered Bai Yue. A night and a day and passed and he hadn¡¯t come home, yet Bai Yue hadn¡¯t even called? It felt odd. He pulled up her phone number on his screen, then hesitated, and finally turned off the phone. Just for a little bit¡­ he wanted some peace and quiet.


    Mother and son didn¡¯t hold grudges. Though Mother Qiao was disappointed and angry with Qiao Wenxing, upon seeing his depressed appearance, her heart felt distressed for him. Crying bitterly, she forgave him. All she could do was blame Bai Yue, that little fox, for having stolen away her excellent son and made him lose his qualifications to be heir.


    As he listened to her curse Bai Yue non-stop, Qiao Wenxing did not dare tell her that not only had he had married Bai Yue, but she was pregnant with a child. He thought that he would wait for a while, and when his mother calmed down, then he would tell her.


    Since he had gone missing for a full day, Assistant Feng called. But now that Qiao Wenxing had gone home, he no longer cared about his small, barely-surviving company. He decided that he would close it down.


    He asked her casually how Bai Yue was doing. Assistant Feng said that Bai Yue hadn¡¯t called the company to find him. Though there was unease in his heart, Qiao Wenxing  didn¡¯t want to face her, not when he had suddenly run away. He convinced himself not to call.


    It was only three days after Bai Yue lost her child and almost bled to death when he found out what happened. The person who called him in the end was his brother-in-law, who asked him angrily where he had gone. Where was he fooling around while Brother Bai¡¯s sister was lying in the hospital?


    At this time, Qiao Wenxing had just picked up his mother and taken her home. He was shocked to hear the news.


    He told his mother that he had to go back to M City to take care of something, but noticing something off, Mother Qiao forced the entire sordid story of his marriage to Bai Yue, her pregnancy, and miscarriage out of him. Mother Qiao turned pale with anger. But her son had already been seduced, and by the anxious look on his face she didn¡¯t think she could stop him. Throwing up her hands and letting him go in the wrong direction he had chosen, Mother Qiao simply turned away from Qiao Wenxing, furious.


    However, he was still her son. As Qiao Wenxing was about to leave, his mother called to him, ¡°Take some people with you.¡±


    Qiao Wenxing returned to M City no longer as the owner of a small, struggling business, but as the young master of the Qiao Family. Even if he was no longer heir, such an identity was unattainable for an ordinary person.


    When he saw Bai Yue again, though she was out of physical danger, her face was white and bloodless, her eyes blank and distant, and as weak as though she had lost her soul. She lay there dully as he approached. It took a little while for her to understand that he was there, then tears rolled down from her eyes.


    He had left her selfishly just when something like this happened. Guilty and distressed, Qiao Wenxing took her in his arms and repeatedly apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Bai Yue was out of breath from crying, but she kept shaking her head.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    She looked down and said through her tears, ¡°I slipped and fell.¡±


    Qiao Wenxing frowned, looked up, and saw the Bai parents standing to the side looking strange, their eyes flashing.

 Chapter 29.1

    No matter what Bai Yue said or how her parents argued, Qiao Wenxing found the doctor who had been in attendance when she had arrived at the hospital. From the doctor, he learnt that when Bai Yue was admitted, she had obvious slap marks on her face and a concussion. According to their analysis, someone had slapped her in the face, causing her to fall down, hit her head, and triggering a miscarriage.


    Qiao Wenxing thought about the quarrel he had heard outside the door that night, and felt very tired.


    At that point in time, Brother Bai rushed to the hospital and immediately accosted Qiao Wenxing. ¡°Where were you when my sister lost her child?!¡±


    But Qiao Wenxing had not come alone. With him were four bodyguards, who trussed up Brother Bai like a chicken.


    Panic-stricken, Father and Mother Bai pleaded with Qiao Wenxing on their son¡¯s behalf. ¡°Please, he¡¯s just being young and foolish! He¡¯s just worried about his sister!¡±


    Bai Yue had been slapped, fallen, and miscarried because she had accidentally  let slip that Mother Qiao had offered to send her away with 5 million yuan, and that she had torn up the check.


    Five million yuan! Father and Mother Bai couldn¡¯t possibly have earned such a sum in their lifetime. With the money, they could have bought Brother Bai a huge house in his hometown, with no worries leftover for a bride price for his wife!


    Not only had Bai Yue actually turned down such a large sum of money, but she had also refused to ask Qiao Wenxing for five million yuan! Furious, Father Bai had slapped her in the face. Her belly already heavy with child, Bai Yue had lost her balance, fell to the ground, smashed her head and lost her child.


    Father and Mother Bai had originally planned to press a sum of money out of Qiao Wenxing by means of Bai Yue¡¯s miscarriage. But unexpectedly, the Qiao Wenxing who had came back from D City wasn¡¯t at all like the son-in-law they knew. He was almost like a completely different man, and four bodyguards in black suits followed closely on his heels, inspiring fear in anyone who looked.


    It was Father and Mother Bai who first lost their nerve. They were too afraid that he would find out the truth about Bai Yue¡¯s miscarriage to dare ask for money.


    ¡°Let me talk to Bai Yue alone,¡± said Qiao Wenxing.


    With the ¡®help¡¯ of his bodyguards, the Bai parents had no choice but to leave the ward. Before they left, they winked urgently at Bai Yue, but she didn¡¯t see them. She lay in bed with her eyes closed and tears seeping out from under her lids.


    With everyone gone, the ward became quiet.


    Qiao Wenxing did not press her for the truth of the matter. She was flesh of their flesh and bone of their bone. No matter how badly her parents and younger brother hurt her, Bai Yue would grit her teeth and defend them to the end.


    He only asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me when this happened?¡±


    ¡°They took my phone away,¡± she sobbed.


    Father and Mother Bai had been afraid that she would tell Qiao Wenxing the truth. They had taken away her phone and forbidden her from contacting him. Not until they had convinced and browbeat her into taking their side that Brother Bai had contacted him. As for where he had vanished to the last few days, not only had Father and Mother Bai not been worried about him, but they had been glad for his absence.


    Bai Yue felt uneasy at his long silence. Weakly, she asked, ¡°Where have you been these  last few days? Why did you only come now? ¡±


    Qiao Wenxing looked at her. ¡°I went home.¡±


    Bai Yue didn¡¯t comprehend his meaning at first, but then it hit her. By ¡®home¡¯, Qiao Wenxing didn¡¯t mean the apartment they had rented in M City, but the Qiao Family in D City.


    ¡°You..!¡± Bai Yue was frightened and panicked. But when she met Qiao Wenxing¡¯s gaze, there was nothing she could say. What was wrong with him going back? How could she stop him?


    ¡°Will you¡­ come back?¡± she asked eventually in a quivering tone.


    ¡°No,¡± Qiao Wenxing replied. ¡°I¡¯ll settle things here, then return and never come back.¡±


    Bai Yue¡¯s lower lip trembled. ¡°What¡­ what about me? What will I do?¡±


    Qiao Wenxing was once again silent. A long time later, he answered, ¡°You are my wife. You should come home with me. But¡­¡±


    ¡°If you want to be Mrs. Qiao,¡± he laid out his terms, ¡°You must break off your relationship with your parents. You have to go completely no-contact with them.¡±


    These terms were beyond Bai Yue. She was the eldest daughter, and she had to be filial to her parents. She was the elder sister, and she had a duty to help out her younger brother. Her parents had raised her, her brother was her only sibling; how could she give them up?


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± she shed tears. ¡°They¡¯re my father, mother and brother¡­¡±


    Once again, the ward fell silent.


    A long time later, Qiao Wenxing said softly and gently, ¡°Let¡¯s get a divorce.¡±


    Bai Yue closed her eyes. Tears rolled down her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡±


    She had heard news of the Qiao Family from her little brother. She knew that Qiao Wenxing had lost his position as heir.


    Bai Yue was no longer a na?ve girl who believed that Cinderella would live happily ever after with her prince, that innocent who thought that people could survive on love and water. She understood full well what Qiao Wenxing had lost because of her.


    Qiao Wenxing closed down his business in M City and divorced Bai Yue. Just as he had promised, he bought Bai Yue an apartment in M City, and he gave her a generous alimony. If she could hold onto the money, she would never want for food or material comforts all her life.


    If she could hold onto it.


    After dealing with all these things and returning to D City, Qiao Wenxing felt like he had finally truly awoken from his dream. He had once been a spoiled young master, and this dream had brought him to maturity.


    The double date Qiao Chengyu had proposed never came to fruition, but he ate once alone with Han Yanyan. They had grown up together and were even once engaged. Although there was no love between them, they were fairly good friends, and she hadn¡¯t embarrassed him at all even when he had broken off the engagement. Qiao Wenxing is full of guilt toward her.


    As soon as they met, he was shocked by how gorgeous she was.


    Qiao Wenxing even felt a little confused. Was this really the Han Yanyan he knew? Why was she somehow more beautiful, more confident, more radiant? How had she become even sexier, and more charming than she had been? She hadn¡¯t been like this at all when they had been together.


    Over that catch-up meal, Qiao Wenxing felt how different Han Yanyan was from Bai Yue. Whether it was in her vision, her manners or her bearing, they were miles apart.


    He was at a loss. Was it because he had known her for too long that he had not seen her elegance in the past? But when a woman was so dazzling, how could he possibly have overlooked her?


    ¡°What are your plans for the future?¡± Han Yanyan asked him.


    Qiao Wenxing forced a bitter smile. ¡°Dad gave me two companies to manage.¡±


    When he had returned to the circle, he found that attitudes toward him were very different now than they were before. He had once been the heir to the Qiao Family, but now he was merely the Qiao Family¡¯s eldest young master, nothing more. He was no longer the center of attention among his friends like he had been before.


    It was Qiao Chengyu who was always surrounded by people now.


    After Han Yanyan had gone home, he lay in bed that night, unable to sleep. Everytime he rolled over and forced himself to close his eyes, the memories of the past year were fresh in his mind, and the changes after he had returned never left.


    Qiao Wenxing felt his heart hurt.

 Chapter 29.2

    Han Yanyan leapt to her feet suddenly and ran down the stairs, barefoot. Her old father, sitting in the living room downstairs reading a newspaper, got quite a fright.


    ¡°Dad! Hurry, run! It¡¯s an earthquake! ¡± she exclaimed anxiously, dragging him to his feet.


    ¡°Nonsense, what earthquake?¡± Father Han asked, dumbfounded. ¡°I¡¯ve been sitting here this whole time, and I didn¡¯t feel anything.¡±


    Wheezing and panting, Han Yanyan looked up at the ceiling in shock. It really wasn¡¯t shaking. There were no signs of an earthquake. But¡­


    ¡°It was just swaying so badly! The walls of my room cracked!¡± Her heart was still gripped in lingering fear. Anyone who had been lying in bed when the earth suddenly shook and big cracks opened in the wall would have been scared.


    Skeptically, Father Han went upstairs with her. The room was completely still, and the wall still covered in gorgeous wallpaper, smooth, whole and normal.


    Han Yanyan was at a loss for words.


    ¡°But I really¡­ I really saw¡­¡± she murmured.


    ¡°Were you having a nightmare?¡± Father Han had no words. ¡°Have you been too tired recently? M&A1 cases are quite detail-heavy, so you have to be here for awhile to keep an eye on it, but when this case is over, go abroad, find your mother, and have her take you shopping and relax. Oh, and remember to bring her back with you when you come home, or she¡¯ll be gone all year. Hmph.¡±


    Her old dad left sorrowfully, leaving Han Yanyan still sitting in her room alone, bewildered. How could she possibly be hallucinating?


    A little while later, there was a change in her eyes.


    Closing her bedroom door, she returned to the center of the room. She had a very large room. Her closet alone was the size of an ordinary person¡¯s bedroom. After walking around the center of the room a few times, she looked up at the ceiling and shouted, ¡°Hey! Are you there? Hello! That¡­! That¡­ robotic voice!¡±


    But the robotic voice didn¡¯t answer. Han Yanyan shouted a few more times to no avail. The only thing that happened was her looking like a fool.


    Han Yanyan summoned her resolve, pulled out a knife from the drawer, and cut her wrist. She had killed both zombies and men in the three years she had lived in the apocalypse, and her hands neither wavered nor shook. Deep red blood flowed.


    In her head, she counted silently: ten, nine, eight¡­


    ¡°Han Yanyan! What are you doing?!¡±


    She was only three numbers in when she heard the ear-piercing, flustered sound of the robotic voice.


    A bright light flashed in Han Yanyan¡¯s eyes. She immediately staunched her bleeding. She had often been injured during the apocalypse, and she was very good at stopping bleeding. Aside from her powers, everything she had learned in that apocalyptic world she had retained.


    I should go to a dojo later to test my skills, Han Yanyan thought to herself. Why didn¡¯t I think of that before?


    Did ¡®Eldest Miss Han Yanyan¡¯ retain ¡®Apocalyptic Han Yanyan¡±s  skills?


    ¡°What did you call me out for?¡± asked the robotic voice, seeing that she was not in danger and sounding rather disgruntled. No face or body appeared, only its voice floating in the air.


    ¡°Were you here all along?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I told you I would be monitoring the whole process,¡± it answered.


    ¡°Then,¡± she asked, her voice chilly, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you come out just now when I called?¡±


    The robotic voice answered a little unnaturally. ¡°You were doing so well. What was there for me to do?¡±


    ¡°I just felt an earthquake, and I saw the walls crack with my own eyes. But no one else felt it, and everything I saw disappeared afterward, ¡± she said. ¡°And I just remembered that something exactly like this has happened before. I was alone in the office and felt an earthquake, but no one else did. What¡¯s going on? ¡±


    ¡°Is this world¡­ also going to collapse?¡± Han Yanyan, who had once experienced a world collapse, asked the ceiling.


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t exactly call it a collapse¡­¡± the voice said vaguely.


    ¡°Answer me clearly!¡± Han Yanyan ordered. She had fully assimilated the setting of ¡®Eldest Miss Han¡¯, and been the darling daughter and successor of the group for over a year. Her imposing manner had been cultivated from her very bones.


    The robotic voice couldn¡¯t help but quail a little, and let slip, ¡°It¡¯s not collapsing, it¡¯s almost concluded.¡±


    ¡°Concluded?¡± she asked, startled.


    Since it had already admitted the truth, the voice seemed to give up.


    ¡°Yes, the world is coming to an end. I was very surprised too,¡± it said. ¡°This world isn¡¯t difficult, but you¡¯re a novice at this. I didn¡¯t expect you to pick things up so quickly.¡±


    Han Yanyan let her eyes droop before raising them again. ¡°Is this related to Qiao Wenxing?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He¡¯s the target. He¡¯s the key.¡± The voice actually sounded happy. ¡°But really, you impress me. You¡¯re truly an excellent architect.¡±


    ¡°Step it up, Han Yanyan! You¡¯re almost there! You¡¯re so close to this world¡¯s mission being completed! Come on, you can do it, use your true skills and give Qiao Wenxing a little excitement! If you do well, I promise you a reward!¡±


    But Han Yanyan hung her head, deep in thought. After a while, she looked up and asked, ¡°Will this world disappear when the mission is over?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the robotic voice replied.


    ¡°Then what was the point of its existence?¡± she asked through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Why do you need to know?¡± came the perfunctory answer. ¡°Just work hard.¡±


    ¡°Could the world exist alone without the mission?¡± she pressed.


    The robotic voice didn¡¯t answer her immediately. Han Yanyan understood. These worlds¡­ were born only for the sake of the mission.


    Suddenly, the voice became impatient. ¡°What do you need to think so much for?¡± it asked rudely. ¡°Have you forgotten why you¡¯re here doing missions? Your life is still in my hands! Work hard and quickly get this job over with! You¡¯ve still got serious work waiting for you. No matter how much you think, you¡¯ll never get out of here!¡±


    Every word it said was the truth. Han Yanyan¡¯s life and fate were suspended in it¡¯s hand. Who was she to interrogate and question it?


    ¡°Alright, alright, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m cutting off communication!¡± the robotic voice roared anxiously.


    ¡°Hold on a minute,¡± Han Yanyan stopped it. ¡°You must have a name. What should I call you? I can¡¯t just keep saying ¡®hey you¡¯ forever.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± said the voice. ¡°My name is Leo.¡±


    ¡°Leo,¡± she smiled, ¡°Are you younger than me?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Leo snapped back without thinking. ¡°I¡¯m three times your age.¡±


    When the words came out of his mouth he paused, shocked to have been fooled. ¡°You¡­¡± But then he glanced at the dark gun muzzle behind him. Not daring to admit that he had been tricked by Han Yanyan, he bit the bullet and said, ¡°Don¡¯t prattle on so much, work hard!¡±


    After shutting down the communication system, he turned and smiled ingratiatingly. ¡°It looks like she¡¯s well-rested. It¡¯ll be over soon and then I¡¯ll have her get down to business¡­¡±


    When the room was once again devoid of Leo¡¯s voice, Han Yanyan pressed down on her wrist wound, a sneer lifting her lips.


    Sure enough, the one hiding behind that microphone¡­ was a human.

 Chapter 30.1

    After Qiao Wenxing returned, he received praise from company veterans. These seniors had watched him grow up, and felt like he had ¡®finally matured and become an adult¡¯, but then they would inevitably shake their heads and sigh, ¡°What a pity¡­¡±


    What a pity that Qiao Chengyu had become a stunning success first. No matter how well he did now, Qiao Wenxing was no competition.


    Men are led by interests. When compared against Qiao Wenxing, who had matured with great difficulty, the company veterans preferred to follow behind steady, steadfast, decisive Qiao Chengyu.


    Qiao Wenxing didn¡¯t respond to those who tempted him or who watched with ulterior motives. He concentrated on the two companies that his father had asked him to manage. If he did well there, then even if he was no longer eligible to be successor, Father Qiao would delegate more power to him.


    At this point, that was all he could still do for himself.


    He had once been young and in high spirits, and hadn¡¯t cared much about mundane business affairs. Though christened a ¡®young talent¡¯ and a ¡®business elite¡¯, in actual fact professional managers handled most of his responsibilities. But this was no longer the case. Having endured the hardships of establishing his own independent venture, it felt incredibly comfortable to be managing a company backed by the group, supported efficiently from all sides, with an excellent profit margin and smooth turnover.


    The Qiao Wenxing of now had cast off his previous flights of passion and affection. Gradually, he grew into an adult whose mind was focused on his career.


    Three months afterward, the Han family successfully completed their merger, and Qiao Wenxing was invited to attend the reception.


    Han Yanyan was the star of the show. Although she was a little proud and arrogant, she had studied hard and apprenticed diligently under her father. For this merger and acquisition, Father Han had watched quietly behind the scenes as Han Yanyan presided over the matter, so at the celebration, she was naturally the hero of the moment.


    Qiao Wenxing watched her through the crowd, his heart beating violently.


    They had known each other for many years, and known long ago that they would very likely be married in the future. But though they had been more than friends, they had also been less than lovers, not tying each other down, running neither hot nor cold1. Things had not changed even after their engagement.


    Qiao Wenxing had always felt that Han Yanyan was a little too strong. She was a fierce woman whose interest in business was even stronger than him, her fianc¨¦. Engaged to such a powerful, vibrant fianc¨¦e, Qiao Wenxing had fallen head over heels for his junior Bai Yue¡¯s weak, gentle, flower-like manner. He had truly loved Bai Yue, and truly hoped to spend the rest of his life with her, but in the end they were not from the same world. When they tried to force it, they had left scars on each other.


    Far away from each other in the magnificent banquet hall, Qiao Wenxing watched Han Yanyan, in high spirits and radiant as the sun ¨C finally, he came to understand what sort of wife he should have married.


    But then someone else appeared beside the woman he should have married. It was a calm and imposing man, for whom a gentle smile emerged only when he was by her side. Qiao Wenxing halted in his tracks. He looked at the two of them standing together, at a loss.


    As he stood there dazed, the people around him suddenly felt dizzy. On the ceiling, the crystal chandelier trembled, and one of the guests stumbled and fell.


    Qiao Chengyu staggered, and reached out to a column to stabilize himself. When he was once again standing firm, his first instinct was to reach out to Han Yanyan, taking her wrist to pull her out of the reception room.


    He couldn¡¯t move her.


    Han Yanyan had also wobbled, but she was slim and light, with excellent balance, and hadn¡¯t needed any form of stabilization. When Qiao Chengyu grabbed her wrist and attempted to yank her out of the room, she held onto him instead.


    ¡°It¡¯s an earthquake! We have to get out of here!¡± Qiao Chengyu shouted.


    Han Yanyan didn¡¯t move or panic, but instead smiled. She was finally no longer alone. Finally, there was someone here to experience the shock with her.


    Her eyes fell upon Qiao Wenxing, standing in the crowd.


    Qiao Chengyu noticed her strangeness, followed her gaze, and saw Qiao Wenxing standing there in the middle of a crowd all at sixes and sevens. He stood out as if he was in the middle of a flock of terrified, agitated chickens.


    A strange feeling was born in Qiao Chengyu¡¯s heart.


    Qiao Wenxing hadn¡¯t been affected by the earthquake at all. He seemed to in a fugue state. It was Han Yanyan¡¯s gaze that jolted him back to the present. Looking around at the panic-stricken crowd around him, he felt momentarily shocked. He had just zoned out for a bit. What happened?


    As he came back to himself, the tremors faded. Before the guests had time to flee, everything became calm once again. A few startled waiters who had just come in with trays inquired, ¡°What happened here? Sir, sir? Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°There was an earthquake!¡± The guest they were speaking to said with lingering fear. ¡°Didn¡¯t you feel it?¡±


    The waiters looked at each other. They hadn¡¯t been in the banquet hall just now, but in the prep room. They hadn¡¯t felt anything.


    This incident cut the reception short. Reporters went home that night to write their manuscripts about an earthquake occurring during the banquet. Early the next morning, they were called back in by their editors-in-chief and reamed. ¡°What bullshit is this?! What earthquake? There was no earthquake yesterday!¡±


    But there was more than one witness to the earthquake. Each and every one of the banquet guests was a well-known celebrity, and all of them claimed that there had been an earthquake that day. It was impossible to coordinate such a lie amongst so many people, all of whom were respectable and of high standing. In this way, the earthquake became a supernatural event, and the surrounding furor lasted for a whole week.


    When all the guests filed out, Han Yanyan didn¡¯t leave the premises immediately. Instead, she told Qiao Chengyu, ¡°I¡¯m going to go fix my makeup,¡± and headed to the ladies¡¯ powder room.


    The powder room was empty but for a semi-circle of sofas and a row of dressing tables. Han Yanyan closed the door, leaned onto a dresser with both hands, and looked at her reflection in the mirror.


    ¡°Leo, get out here!¡± she demanded.

 Chapter 30.2

    The ladies¡¯ powder room was as silent as the grave.


    Very calmly, Han Yanyan pulled out a switchblade from her handbag and flicked it open. Ding Yao had taught her this. Looking straight into the mirror, she placed the blade right on her jugular.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Leo sounded furious. ¡°Hey, hey, hey! What the hell¡¯s the matter with you! ¡±


    So he could come when called after all. Han Yanyan tamped down a sneer and put down her knife. ¡°You didn¡¯t respond, so I had to use a different method.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t everything going well? What are you dragging me out here for?¡± Leo asked angrily.


    ¡°I¡¯m just making sure of something.¡± Han Yanyan closed the knife and tucked it back into her bag. ¡°Was what happened just now a sign of the mission about to be completed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you were so close!¡± Leo replied. ¡°Just a little bit more. Incite him just a little more and mission accomplished.¡±


    Han Yanyan stared at the air.


    ¡°¡­does that mean leaving this world?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes. Once the mission is done, this place is terminated.¡±


    ¡°What about the other people here? What happens to my parents? My fianc¨¦?¡± Han Yanyan asked, gazing up at the ceiling.


    ¡°Them?¡± Leo sniggered, ¡°You¡¯re not thinking that they¡¯re¡­ hmm.¡± He seemed to realize something halfway through his sentence and halted in his tracks. In the end he said only, ¡°They¡¯re not important. Only the mission matters. Aside from the mission, you don¡¯t need to care about anyone else.¡±


    Qiao Chengyu was waiting outside when Han Yanyan emerged from the powder room. Compared to her high spirits from before, she looked exhausted, her steps weak.


    ¡°Yanyan,¡± he greeted. ¡°Are you tired?¡±


    Han Yanyan stopped and looked up at him. For a moment she looked like she was lost at sea, but soon she hid the feeling away somewhere and gazed for a little while before suddenly standing on tiptoe to kiss him.


    ¡°Your place today,¡± she smiled.


    She must be tired, thought Qiao Chengyu. Although she was smiling, it wasn¡¯t nearly as bright as usual. She had to be exhausted.


    That night, Han Yanyan was especially enthusiastic and cuddly. After they made love, she kept him from going to the study, but lay on his chest instead talking to him.


    She was a woman who was always on the go, free and unfettered whether in business or in love. Her unexpected clinginess made Qiao Chengyu feel soft inside. He liked this version of her.


    Holding her in his arms, he listened to the strange words pouring out of her mouth.


    ¡°Do you know what I like about you?¡± Han Yanyan asked, propping up her head.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Her eyes were strangely misty. She exuded both an unexplainable sense of affection and an unspeakable sadness.


    ¡°I like how handsome you are.¡±


    ¡°I like how you¡¯re in good shape.¡±


    ¡°I like that you¡¯re tall, and that you have dark hair.¡±


    ¡°I like how stoic you look in a suit.¡±


    ¡°I like how you focus on your work and can¡¯t be distracted.¡±


    ¡°I like how serious you are.¡±


    ¡°I like how you commit to what you want and don¡¯t give up.¡±


    ¡°How you¡¯re aggressive, but still have principles.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and I like your hands too, and the shape of your collarbone and your Adam¡¯s apple.¡±


    At first, Qiao Chengyu listened with a smile, but as she went on, his eyes changed.


    ¡°Yanyan,¡± he asked, his voice deeper and hoarser than usual after sex. ¡°¡­what happened?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Chin in her hand, Han Yanyan smiled. ¡°I just wanted you to know that I like you.¡±


    Qiao Chengyu was silent.


    It had been almost two years since they had first met, formed an alliance, gotten engaged and fallen in love. He was a clever and perceptive man, and he had always had a lingering question in the back of his mind.


    He desperately wanted to ask her, who hurt you?


    It couldn¡¯t have been Qiao Wenxing. Qiao Wenxing didn¡¯t have it in him.


    Qiao Chengyu was convinced that sometime in Han Yanyan¡¯s past, there must have been a man who had hurt her so deeply that even until now, her wounds hadn¡¯t healed.


    It was because of this man that he had had to put in so much effort to warm her heart.


    But in the end he didn¡¯t ask. Since she didn¡¯t want to say anything, he wouldn¡¯t push her. He just touched her face and told her seriously, ¡°I love you too.¡±


    What¡¯s the difference between loving and liking?


    Han Yanyan gazed at her fianc¨¦¡¯s handsome face greedily, smiled, and leaned forward to kiss him.


    ¡°Which do you prefer, everlasting love or everyday love?¡± she asked, looking into his eyes.


    Then, ¡°Forget it. Seize the moment¡­¡± The whisper she breathed out sounded like a sigh.


    She wondered if she had forgotten to tell him that she liked how he always knew what to say. There were so many things in his eyes that he clearly wanted to talk about, but he always kept himself from spilling out the words that he shouldn¡¯t speak.


    Why didn¡¯t she choose everlasting love? wondered Qiao Chengyu.


    In two months, they would be together forever.


    In two months would be the grand, gorgeous, romantic wedding between Han Yanyan, heir to the Han conglomerate, and Qiao Chengyu, heir to the Qiao business empire.

 Chapter 31.1

    In the last two months before marriage, Han Yanyan became extremely clingy. Whenever she had any spare time, she would wrap herself around Qiao Chengyu. It was common knowledge that the second son of the Qiao family, a cold and aloof elite, turned into a doting husband in front of his fianc¨¦e. The couple scattered dog food madly everywhere, making spectators sick.


    Thankfully, the golden couple¡¯s grand wedding eventually arrived as scheduled.


    The wedding venue was an old, historic castle, and the Qiao family had spared no expense to decorate it lavishly for the wedding, banquet and guests.


    According to custom, on the eve of the wedding the soon-to-be-married couple wasn¡¯t allowed to meet, but regardless, Han Yanyan quietly snuck into Qiao Chengyu¡¯s room.


    Qiao Chengyu had already guessed it was her when he heard the knock on the door. He opened the door, pulled her in, and pressed her to the back of the door to kiss her. Although they were obviously soon going to be husband and wife, it felt like they were two secret lovers stealing a moment of pleasure together.


    Delighted, Qiao Chengyu pressed his hand on the door paneling, a thin layer of goosebumps climbing up his back and shoulders. Han Yanyan wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, and on her fingers she felt the tiny uneven bumps, like an electrical current flooding into her body from her fingertips, leaping forward, surging on in waves.


    She coiled herself around him like a vine, their two bodies melding together perfectly into one. Their lips and tongue twined, their sweat blended together, everything shared between them.


    ¡°Qiao Chengyu, Qiao Chengyu,¡± she murmured his name.


    Shuddering in arousal, Qiao Chengyu was unable to make any sort of coherent answer, only managing to let out a grunt in response.


    ¡°I like you¡­¡± Han Yanyan whispered in a low voice. ¡°I like everything about you¡­¡±


    Qiao Chengyu finally broke free from the trembling feeling and looked down at her. The tips of their noses were touching, and their lips brushed each other. Her voice was as fine and thin as a thread, and only at this close distance was he able to make out what she said.


    She said, ¡°It¡¯s like you were tailor-made for me¡­¡±


    Any words that might have followed were sealed behind warm lips. Han Yanyan fell down deep into the mire of tenderness, unwilling to struggle out. When finally the bride-to-be was too weak to walk, the soon-to-be bridegroom carried her back to her room quietly in the dead of night.


    The next day right before the wedding, Qiao Chengyu felt worried about her and bribed her bridesmaids into letting him into the preparation room.


    The old castle room was tall and broad, the walls assembled from boulders and the sunlight streaming in through the stained glass in the windows. There was an almost sacred hush under the vaulted ceiling. On a quaint wooden chair, Han Yanyan sat looking into the mirror, sheathed by a hazy halo of light. The long white train of her wedding dress spread out on the floor all around her, seemingly sparkling with holy light.


    She was the bride of his dreams. For a moment, Qiao Chengyu held his breath for fear of disturbing her.


    Han Yanyan saw him in the mirror and smiled. ¡°Why are you here? Aren¡¯t we not supposed to meet before the ceremony?¡± She said this quite shamelessly, as if she hadn¡¯t been the one who to sneak into his room last night.


    Qiao Chengyu let out his breath in a slow exhale. He stood far away, quietly staring at his bride.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± she asked, turning around.


    Though she was smiling gently at him, Qiao Chengyu still remembered how she had looked when he had pushed the door open. She had been looking at herself in the mirror, and on her face¡­ there had been no smile. Therefore, he had hung back. Just a few moments before the wedding, hesitation grew in his heart.


    Han Yanyan smiled, holding out her hand. ¡°Come here.¡±


    Qiao Chengyu walked over and took her hand. It was soft and warm, and somehow it calmed his wavering heart.


    Gazing at his bride, he suddenly knelt down on one knee, held her hand to his lips, and kissed the back of her hand gently.


    Surprised and amused, Han Yanyan asked, ¡°Are you trying to propose again?¡±


    But Qiao Chengyu¡¯s eyes and expression were serious. Kneeling before her, holding her hand, he was like a knight swearing allegiance to his princess.


    ¡°Yanyan,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯m blessed to be able to marry you. I thank God for my good fortune. I, Qiao Chengyu, swear to you¨C¡±


    ¡°I will do my best to be the husband you want, to give you the marriage you want.¡±


    ¡°I will be loyal to you, to our marriage, and to our family all my life.¡±


    ¡°I will be a good husband and a good father.¡±


    ¡°When we have children in the future, whether they are boys or girls, I will love both them and you with all my heart.¡±


    ¡°Parent-teacher conferences, sports meets, stage performances, reading contests, academic competitions¡­ I promise you, I won¡¯t miss a single important moment in their life¡­¡±


    ¡°Yanyan, Yanyan¡­¡± Qiao Chengyu stared at his bride and asked softly, ¡°¡­why are you crying?¡±


    Tear marks criss-crossed Han Yanyan¡¯s smiling face. She gripped his hand tightly and answered, ¡°Because I¡¯m happy.¡±


    Her throat quivered. There were three words stuck in there that wouldn¡¯t come out.


    That she couldn¡¯t say.


    Qiao Chengyu stared at her for a moment, then chose to believe. He got up, kissed her cheek and eyes, dried her tears, and told her, ¡°You couldn¡¯t possibly be happier than me.¡±


    ¡°Because,¡± he smiled, ¡°I am about to become the happiest man in the world.¡±


    He let go of her hand and left the room.


    The bridesmaids, makeup artists, stylists, dressers and staff who had left to give the couple some personal space swarmed back in, and Qiao Chengyu disappeared behind them. Han Yanyan stared at the door, unable to make out his figure.


    ¡°Oh, no need to look so hard. You¡¯ll see him in fifteen minutes!¡± joked a bridesmaid.


    A group of other girls guffawed, ¡°Even fifteen minutes is too long to wait! Oh my God, what a big bowl of dog food!¡±


    The emotions that Han Yanyan couldn¡¯t help but reveal were tightly wrapped back up. She lifted her chin and plastered back on the smile of ¡®Eldest Miss Han¡¯.

 Chapter 31.2

    Right on time fifteen minutes later, she stood outside the huge wooden door to the chapel. As the music played, the giant doors opened slowly, and all the guests turned in their seats to watch the bride. Han Yanyan put on her proud and reserved smile like a soldier donning armour, took her father¡¯s arm and stepped onto the red carpet.


    At the other end of the red carpet, Qiao Chengyu stood tall and straight, his brow full of happy expectations. He waited for her at the other end, waiting to take her hand, put on her wedding ring, and hear her say ¡®I do¡¯. When she did, she would be his wife.


    So fierce and strong were his hopes that even across the distance, Han Yanyan could feel them.


    Father Han felt his daughter suddenly tighten her hold on his hand. Smiling, he patted the back of her hand with a smile and motioned for her not to be nervous. So what if she was married? She might be someone¡¯s wife, but she would always be his daughter, and the heir to the Han conglomerate.


    There was nothing to be afraid of.


    Han Yanyan understood what her father meant to say. She turned her head, smiling, leaned over, and kissed her father gently on the cheek.


    She had enjoyed happiness these last two years all thanks to this strong businessman standing behind her.


    Thank you.


    The music changed. Father and daughter glanced at each other, then walked in arm in arm.


    The red carpet was quite long. A flower girl led the way as Han Yanyan walked slowly toward her groom, holding onto her father¡¯s arm with her long train sweeping behind her. The closer she got to him, the better she could make out the joy and delight hidden behind his calm expression.


    All of a sudden, her gaze moved away from her fianc¨¦ and turned toward the guests.


    For various reasons Qiao Wenxing wasn¡¯t Qiao Chengyu¡¯s best man, but his position in the party was still quite high.


    Sitting there watching his half-brother in formal dress waiting for his bride, Qiao Wenxing had the strangest feeling. It was as if¡­ he was dreaming again.


    When the giant, heavy doors slowly opened, and the proud, beautiful bride walked closer and closer, it felt like her footsteps were treading on his heart, step by step, beating like a drum in his ear.


    Just then, the bride, who had been smiling at the groom, suddenly cast a glance in his direction.


    The earthquake was sudden and unexpected. Unprepared, the wedding guests fell to the ground. The solemn, gorgeous wedding had gone completely haywire.


    Qiao Wenxing came back to himself.


    What was he thinking? This was someone else¡¯s wedding, Han Yanyan and Qiao Chengyu¡¯s wedding. One was about to become his sister-in-law, and the other was the heir to his family. No use crying over spilt milk, thought Qiao Wenxing. He shouldn¡¯t be fantasizing over what could never be.


    But it was so strange.


    All these things should have been his. Why had everything changed?


    The tremors stopped for a moment, but the scene was already a mess. People were fleeing through the doors. After all, in the face of a natural disaster, life was more important.


    ¡°Yanyan!¡±


    Han Yanyan heard two people calling her name. One was her father and the other her groom. They were both calling her name, wanting her to flee the building as quickly as she could.


    Han Yanyan turned a deaf ear. Thanks to the shaking of the ground, Father Han had already fallen and lost his grip on her. Set free, she picked up her skirt and stepped forward. Instead of walking to her groom, she went toward her former fianc¨¦, Qiao Wenxing.


    The mission goal of this world.


    Qiao Chengyu, who had just steadied himself, shouted out her name, but saw that his bride was ignoring him and walking straight to Qiao Wenxing instead. Qiao Chengyu froze.


    Han Yanyan arrived in front of Qiao Wenxing, and their eyes met.


    Seeing the vagueness in his gaze, she smiled and asked, ¡°Do you regret it?¡±


    As if dreaming, Qiao Wenxing replied, ¡°I regret it.¡±


    When she asked and he answered, the world that had quieted down for a moment shook violently. The windows burst, the vaulted ceiling collapsed, and a massive pillar came tumbling down.


    It fell precisely in the direction of Qiao Chengyu, who managed to step back and avoid it. However, he saw the broken pillar pinning down a number of people, among them Father Han, who had just stood up in an attempt to pull his daughter out of danger and run for their lives.


    He saw the well-dressed guests screaming and running toward the door.


    He saw his bride turning a deaf ear to it all, and his brother turning a blind eye. Between the two of them seemed to exist a completely different world.


    Han Yanyan knew what was going on around her and that her ¡®father¡¯ might have perished in the fray, but she didn¡¯t even look back.


    ¡°They¡¯re not important. Only the mission matters. Aside from the mission, you don¡¯t need to care about anyone else.¡±


    The harsh robotic voice seemed to echo in her ear. Completely disregarding the panic and confusion surrounding her, Han Yanyan looked only at Qiao Wenxing.


    Under her gaze, Qiao Wenxing felt as though he was lost in a fog.


    Why was this happening? Why had he lost everything? Apparently it was¡­ because of a woman. But Qiao Wenxing found that he could no longer remember the woman¡¯s face or name, nor could he remember how or why he had decided to give everything up for her.


    In his confusion, a voice floated lightly into his ears.


    ¡°Since you regret it,¡± said Han Yanyan, ¡°End it quickly.¡±


    Her words burst upon his ears like muffled thunder. ¡°Yes,¡± Qiao Wenxing murmured, ¡°Let¡¯s end it¡­ this isn¡¯t what¡­ I want¡­¡±


    The world shook and rumbled. The screams and cries became muffled. The walls collapsed, a huge crack burst open in the floor, and white light poured out through the gap.


    People fled to the church doors as fast as they could, but only harsh white light poured in through the doors and the broken windows.


    White light flooded the world and the world melted. With it went everyone in the world.


    ¡°They¡¯re not important. Only the mission matters. Aside from the mission, you don¡¯t need to care about anyone else.¡±


    But could she not care? At the very last moment, Han Yanyan couldn¡¯t help herself. She turned her head.


    Qiao Chengyu hadn¡¯t tried to escape. He still stood there watching her from the other side of the huge pillar, his mouth compressed tightly. He had a hunch that everything that was happening had something to do with her, and he thought that she would give him an explanation.


    However, Han Yanyan only gave him one last, fleeting glance. Though her lips opened and closed, she couldn¡¯t explain it to him after all.


    I¡¯m so sorry. My mission target from this world¡­ wasn¡¯t you.

 Chapter 32.1

    Han Yanyan closed her eyes as white light flooded everything. When she opened them again, it was that familiar pure white space.


    Qiao Wenxing, Qiao Chengyu, her wealthy father, all those well-dressed upper-class guests¡­ they all disappeared. When a world ended, like a bubble bursting, all those people went with the world. They could not be grasped or caught, like sand flowing through one¡¯s fingers.


    Leo had called it ¡®quick transmigration¡¯.


    Han Yanyan stood there quietly, her hands fisted by her sides.


    ¡°My oh my, I was right after all. How quick! It must have been pretty easy for you.¡± Leo¡¯s ugly electronic synthesized voice sounded very happy.


    What was this fellow so pleased about?


    ¡°Well then, your mental chart looks much more stable now. Let¡¯s hurry up and start the next world.¡±


    I see.


    ¡°I specifically chose something simple for you to let you relax. You did great in this world, and honestly pretty well in the post-apocalyptic one, too. Don¡¯t be so hard on yourself, you¡¯re quite talented¡­¡±


    ¡°What do I get, Leo?¡± Han Yanyan asked abruptly.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Leo¡¯s chatter came to an abrupt halt, as if his brain had short-circuited for a moment.


    Han Yanyan had been a career novelist, and her mind had an excellent sense of imagery. As Leo was at a loss, she could see vividly in her head the appearance of someone hiding behind their monitor and microphone, mouth open, brain shorted out.


    It was fucking hilarious.


    Too bad the laughter wouldn¡¯t come out.


    ¡°I completed my ¡®Quick Transmigration¡¯ mission objective. What do I get?¡± she asked again.


    A few seconds later, Leo answered in a nasty tone, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve made me your worker. At the very least, I should know my salary, bonuses and benefits,¡± she replied. ¡°Even if I won¡¯t get any, shouldn¡¯t I know at the very least when I can leave?¡±


    ¡°Leave?¡± Leo ridiculed. ¡°Where did you even get that idea from? I¡¯ll say it again, don¡¯t even think about it. Now go on, you¡¯ve had enough rest, get down to work. ¡±


    His voice suddenly lost it¡¯s animation and said coldly, ¡°Mark.¡±


    Right from the start, Leo had been using this synthetic robotic sound to disguise himself as something like a ¡®system¡¯, an AI. After some tentative probing, it wasn¡¯t hard to guess that this ¡®mark¡¯ was truly from a computer, and that was why it was so cold and emotionless.


    Han Yanyan smiled grimly.


    After the ¡®mark¡¯, there was a familiar trance-like feeling, as if she had forgotten something, as if a paragraph was missing. But Han Yanyan was not perplexed and alarmed this time, because she had had an idea of what was going on even before she was marked.


    ¡°What are the mission requirements this time?¡± she asked.


    At first, Leo had asked her to make the target fall in love with her. In the apocalyptic world she had been made a meat shield by Ding Yao, yet he had still praised her for doing a good job. Then in the previous world, she had been required to make Qiao Wenxing regret his actions. Although it had been simple and easy to accomplish, there was no coherency in these requirements. After all, what Han Yanyan knew about ¡®quick transmigration¡¯ generally required a singular, clear-cut purpose.


    That was why she had asked this question.


    ¡°Ummmmm¡­¡­¡±


    This time, it was Leo who stalled. He hesitated for a long moment before answering, ¡°Uh, well, just do what you did to Ding Yao last time. You didn¡¯t do half-bad then.¡±


    ¡°But I failed with Ding Yao.¡± Han Yanyan had been in the last world for two years. She could now speak of Ding Yao calmly, and didn¡¯t deny her failure. ¡°He didn¡¯t fall in love with me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ hard to say,¡± Leo replied. She could tell from his tone that he was eager to gossip, but though he was apparently itching to say more, something seemed to be holding him back. In the end he could only give her a simple, vague, ambiguous order.


    Han Yanyan felt her once calm heart being fiercely pulled.


    It wasn¡¯t that she was still in love with Ding Yao. She had been with Qiao Chengyu for two years ¨C spoiled, loved, trusted, relied on, respected. She wasn¡¯t so cheap as to still have feelings for Ding Yao.


    It was merely that she just somehow couldn¡¯t catch her breath. She couldn¡¯t let go of it after all.


    ¡°All right, all right, let¡¯s get to work!¡±


    Leo switched over to the real computer system, and an electronic voice said coldly, ¡°The world has been generated.¡±


    Han Yanyan¡¯s lips curled up in a bitter smile as she was dropped into the next world.

 Chapter 32.2

    When she opened her eyes, she was in a small room with a bottle of red wine in her hand and a cart in front of her. She looked down to find herself wearing a white shirt, a black vest, and a matching skirt. The skirt was narrow and tightly wrapped around her hips and waist, while the collar of the white shirt was adorned with a bow tie ¨C a very standard waitress uniform.


    ¡°Yanyan, Yanyan, are you ready?¡± inquired the invisible headset hidden in her ear.


    She activated the preloaded information about the world.


    The ¡®Han Yanyan¡¯ of this world turned out to be a policewoman undercover as a waitress at this club. She was now pushing this dining cart into Room 812 to deliver the guests their drinks. And one of those guests, unsurprisingly, was the mission goal of this world, Yao Chen, K City¡¯s crime lord.


    This big boss straddled the line between black and white, owning both ostensibly legitimate businesses and shady industries such as drug trafficking, pornography and gambling. The underground businesses comprised the bulk of his income, while those legitimate ones in the light laundered money for the ones underground.


    Having browsed through all the preloaded information, Han Yanyan had a clear picture of Yao Chen¡¯s character setting.


    He was a villain.


    Yes indeed, a villain.


    No matter what his past might have contained, difficulties he might have undergone, whether or not he loved his family or wife or children tenderly, or how loyal he was to his friends, the things he had done was enough to send him to the eighteenth level of hell.


    This was her target. How wonderful!


    In a good mood, Han Yanyan bent her head slightly and said to the microphone hidden in her collar, ¡°I¡¯m entering now.¡±


    Her lips turned up, she hummed a little ditty as her exquisite hips swayed, pushing the dining car out of the prep room and into Room 812. She was in such a great mood that when she saw the two bodyguards standing at the door, she gave the more handsome of the two a wink.


    Her ability to flirt had been inherited from Eldest Miss Han Yanyan.


    Although the two bodyguards were dressed neatly in black suits, they were obviously men who were rough around the edges. One of them eyed her up and down as they opened the door of the private room for her.


    As soon as the door opened, Han Yanyan stopped humming and flirting. She let a professional smile fall over her face and pushed the dining cart in politely.


    The private room was dim, but devoid of debauchery. A dozen men were gathered there with not a woman in sight. There were two distinct groups of men represented, some of them standing, their bodies tightly wound, and some sitting, pretending to be relaxed and casual but in reality staring at each other with sharp eyes.


    There are only two people who were truly relaxed in the room, Yao Chen and his business partner. The other was a dark-skinned man whose facial features immediately pegged him as a foreigner, and because the contrast between them was so sharp, Han Yanyan didn¡¯t even have to look around to know who was Yao Chen.


    In fact, as soon as she walked into the room she had known he was her target. Here was another man whose aura could not be ignored. When Han Yanyan pushed the cart in, he looked up and glanced at her. His eyes on her were like a blade run lightly across the back, making anyone shiver.


    Han Yanyan acted honest, lowered her eyes, and didn¡¯t even look at Yao Chen. She stopped the cart, took the red wine out from its ice bucket in a professional manner, picked up the napkin beside it, and drew a gun with a smile on her face, as naturally as if it were a corkscrew.


    She raised her hand and shot Yao Chen.


    Ah, how delightful it was to be facing a wicked man!


    There was no psychological burden at all. Unlike with Qiao Chengyu, knowing that sooner or later she would have to break faith with him, when every minute of the day was a race against the world¡¯s time, a fight for every sunrise and sunset.


    The whole time she murdered Yao Chen, Han Yanyan had a smile on her face.


    Killing was easy once you had been through the apocalypse. The current Han Yanyan not only had the decisiveness of the apocalyptic world, but also the the superb marksmanship of ¡®Policewoman Han Yanyan¡¯ in this one. Her bullet was headed right between Yao Chen¡¯s eyes, a shot that would surely be fatal.


    No one could react. Time in the private room stood still, like a movie stunt¡¯s ¡®bullet time¡¯.


    Han Yanyan watched the bullet leave her gun barrel, slowly tearing through the air, leaving behind ripples, rushing toward Yao Chen¡¯s forehead. All the people around her were frozen in the background of this ¡®bullet time¡¯.


    As the bullet flew from the gun and cut through the air, she was in a joyful mood.


    When thrown into ¡®quick transmigration¡¯, she was helpless. When forcefully separated from Qiao Chengyu, she was helpless.


    Now, at last, here was something she could do to thwart Leo, that creep! How could it be anything but delightful?!


    Han Yanyan¡¯s eyes chased after the bullet and turned to Yao Chen. She hadn¡¯t had time to have a good look at the man, and she had no interest in doing so. Her eyes slid right from the muzzle to between his eyes, where she expected the bullet to hit. At such close range, his head might even explode.


    That was alright, even if it didn¡¯t explode completely, at least a partial explosion would be nice. Actual gunshot wounds were not small bloody holes like in the movies, but far more horrifying.


    And the more horrifying it would be, the happier Han Yanyan was.


    While in this pleasant mood, she saw Yao Chen lift his eyes.


    In ¡®bullet time¡¯ when everyone was still, Yao Chen, her mission target, had looked up. The first thing his eyes fell on was the flying bullet. It seemed to encounter an invisible barrier beyond which the air could no longer be penetrated, but which instead became like a soft, tough shield, holding it in place and preventing it from moving any further!


    Han Yan¡¯s breathing stilled.


    Yao Chen¡¯s eyes continued to lift, over the bullet, and onto her.

 Chapter 33.1

    She seemed to witness countless people, countless things, countless picture fragments.


    Han Yanyan didn¡¯t know how she left that world. She returned to the pure white space, and for the first time, she appeared in it lying down. The space was no longer brightly lit ¨C instead, lights flashed, and a shrill alarm rang out with tenacious regularity. It was an old-fashioned alarm sound, and it hurt her eardrums. It wasn¡¯t at all like Leo¡¯s high-tech fantasy style, but more like those old movies she had used to like.


    Han Yanyan lay on the floor, her limbs twitching, every cell of her body in pain. She couldn¡¯t even distinguish which part of her body was in pain. It seemed like even her hair was hurting.


    In the flickering light, she was seized in the fear of that pair of eyes.


    Although the shape was different, when she had met Yao Chen¡¯s eyes she had been reminded of another pair. Amid the flying sand and stone, those eyes had coldly watched the collapse of a world.


    Ding Yao and Qiao Wenxing had belonged to their own worlds, but the owner of those eyes had transcended that world. Now, so had Yao Chen.


    ¡°Han Yanyan! You crazy fuck! What the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing?!?¡±


    Leo¡¯s angry roar pulled Han Yanyan back to the present. She wanted to laugh, but the severe pain made it so she could only summon a twisted grin.


    ¡°Now¡­ am I¡­ qualified¡­ to talk¡­ talk to¡­you?¡± Her voice barely came out. All she could manage were gasps. In her extreme weakness, she found the courage to burn down her bridges.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to talk about shit! Do you know that you¡¯re going to die?!!¡± Leo was freaking out. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t pulled the plug in time, you would be dead by now!¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ ha¡­¡± Han Yanyan did her best, and eventually squeezed out a smile somehow uglier than crying. ¡°If I die¡­ then you can go¡­ find another¡­ architect!¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to threaten me? In your dreams!¡± Leo snarled sullenly. ¡°Who do you think you are? Do you think you¡¯re important? You¡¯re just an architect! You¡¯re right, it¡¯s no big deal for me to find another. It won¡¯t cost me much. Since you want to die so badly, piss off and die!¡±


    This Leo was definitely not a good person. Han Yanyan¡¯s heart sank. She lost consciousness and fell into darkness.


    Leo slammed the comm off and stamped to his feet in anger. ¡°I want a replacement! Another architect! This goddamned woman!¡±


    But the person behind him didn¡¯t agree.


    ¡°How many have we already gone through? She¡¯s the only one up until now who¡¯s managed to make even a little progress. If we switch, can you guarantee that you can find someone else like her?¡± they asked coldly.


    Leo was struck speechless. For this, he had already lost three architects. As a last resort, he had gone to the middle of nowhere to find someone new, a backwards place in the frontier. It was precisely because of how isolated and unknown it was that he had found rough, uncut jade like Han Yanyan hidden there.


    But this sort of thing was heavily dependent on luck. If he lost Han Yanyan, would he be able to quickly find a second? This one was a tough nut to crack. Not just anyone off the street was capable of solving it.


    ¡°But, but she¡¯s in terrible condition now. Not far from death,¡± he argued.


    ¡°Just cure her,¡± said the other. ¡°She¡¯s not dead yet, is she? Bring her back. That shouldn¡¯t be difficult for you. ¡±


    They waved the gun in their hand.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s life was in Leo¡¯s hands, and Leo¡¯s life was in theirs. He had just ruthlessly ordered Han Yanyan¡¯s death, but now he had to submissively take back his words and treat her.


    This motherfucking woman, her body and spirit are so fragile she¡¯ll have to be genetically enhanced to save her life! Dumbass! Leo thought angrily.


    Han Yanyan woke up not knowing long it had been. She had completely lost her sense of time. But this time waking up, not only did she feel no pain, but she also had the strange feeling that she was ¡°full of energy¡±.


    It was neither a physical nor mental sense of fullness. If one had to compare, it was far closer to the feeling that she had felt in the apocalyptic world, when her body was full of power.


    Very strange.


    ¡°Hey, idiot!¡± Leo called out grumpily, ¡°Are you alive? Say something quickly. ¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t seem to be dead. I¡¯m sorry to disappoint.¡± Han Yanyan played with her hair.


    Leo snorted.


    ¡°Now, can we talk?¡± she asked slowly.


    ¡°We can talk shit!¡± Leo exploded. ¡°What do you want to talk about? I¡¯m telling you, until this is over, not only are you stuck here, but so am I!¡±


    The things that came out of Leo¡¯s mouth when he was riled up were often the truth. And the implications of this sentence were enough to shock Han Yanyan.


    After a moment of silence, she asked another question. ¡°Then I would like to know, once a world has ended, can I see the people in it again?¡±


    ¡°Ding Yao? That¡­..¡± Halfway through, Leo stopped short. ¡°No, are you talking about Qiao Chengyu?¡±


    Han Yanyan was silent.


    ¡°Hahahahahahahahaha!¡± It was like he had just heard something extremely funny. ¡°Oh my God, you¡¯re killing me, you¡­ ahem, ahem, don¡¯t think too hard about it. When a world is over, it¡¯s over.¡±


    Han Yanyan remembered that last still frame when Qiao Chengyu had looked at her, his expression, his eyes. She remembered how he held her hand and knelt down on one knee, and swore to her that he would give her a good marriage and a happy family, his gaze full of yearning.


    Her hands clenched into fists.


    ¡°But,¡± hinted Leo in a sly and roundabout manner, ¡°If you really like someone, you might be able to see them again, so long as you work hard and satisfy me.¡±


    She looked up suddenly.


    ¡°Anyone I want to see?¡± she asked. ¡°Including Ding Yao?¡±


    Leo choked. ¡°That one is off the table.¡±


    Han Yanyan¡¯s gaze dropped, her eyes deep and unfathomable.

 Chapter 33.2

    ¡°Less thinking, more serious work. I¡¯m giving you this one last chance! You¡¯d better do your best! Don¡¯t fool around.¡± Leo¡¯s head hurt just thinking of what she had done earlier.


    ¡°You listen up, I¡¯ve already lost three architects, two of whom were exactly like you and tried to off¡­ the mission target. This method has been forbidden right from the start, but my architect took a risk and tried it. It¡¯s been proven not to work!¡± he scoffed. ¡°And what¡¯s more, you¡¯re not this¡­ target¡¯s equal. If you go in thinking of killing him and trigger him¡­ that¡¯s basically suicide.¡±


    ¡®Triggering¡¯ him? Was Leo talking about superpowers? No¡­ Han Yanyan, who had once had superpowers of her own, felt like what Yao Chen had done was closer to Zheng Yao¡¯s ability to destroy the world than a superpower.


    She hated that right at the critical moment, that tool Leo had somehow managed to control his tongue.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it again, you hear me?! Don¡¯t be a moron!¡± Leo didn¡¯t have a single happy feeling about this. ¡°The method you used on Ding Yao had some effect. Follow the same route for Yao Chen.¡±


    Han Yanyan¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Yao Chen? He¡¯s not dead?¡±


    ¡°In your fucking dreams! Do you think he¡¯s that easy to kill?¡± Leo was once again furious. ¡°It¡¯s all because you were such a dumbass. Not only have you wasted a ton of time, but I even had to restart the world! I¡¯m telling you, no more fooling around this time!¡±


    Han Yanyan remembered when the bullet had been stopped by an invisible shield, and how time had gone stagnant except for Yao Chen. At the moment when Leo had cut the world short, she had indeed had the premonition of dying.


    If Leo had been a little slower, she might have died right then, and the most terrible thing was, Han Yanyan had a faint feeling that this time her ¡®death¡¯ would be different than the ¡®death¡¯ of when she was killed by Zheng Yao.


    Zheng Yao might have destroyed the world, but he had never once glanced at her. She had simply vanished with the world.


    But this time, Yao Chen had seen her. The intent to exterminate in his eyes hadn¡¯t been for the world, but for her. If Leo had been just the tiniest bit slower on the uptake, she might really have died. She might have never woken up, never come back to life.


    As her mind was filled with guesses and questions, Leo said, ¡°Mark.¡± Once again, Han Yanyan was marked.


    Afterward, he told her, ¡°I won¡¯t set you a hard task. Just treat him like Ding Yao and follow your intuition.¡±


    ¡°The world is generated.¡±


    With this robotic command, Han Yanyan was once again sent into the ¡®quick transmigration world¡¯. She opened her eyes to see a narrow room. In her hand was a bottle of red wine. She wore a vest, a bow tie and a short skirt, and a dining cart sat in front of her.


    Han Yanyan opened his eyes and lifted the napkin beside the ice bucket. A bottle opener lay there quietly instead of a gun. There was no invisible headset in her ear, no mic in her collar.


    The door to the prep room suddenly opened. Another waitress came in and said, ¡°Yanyan, I¡¯ll send the wine to Room 812.¡±


    The preset information activated.


    The world had been slightly revised after the restart. Han Yanyan was no longer a policewoman, but an ordinary waitress who worked in the club for money. The waitress who had just come in was the real policewoman.


    Han Yanyan knew that she had a gun hidden on her body, a mic in her collar, and an invisible headset in her ear. A team lay in ambush outside the clubhouse, waiting for her to give the signal. They intended to arrest Yao Chen at the scene of the crime, stolen goods in hand.


    This policewoman had taken the place of ¡°Policewoman Han Yanyan¡± from the last round. Obviously, Leo had been afraid that she might fool around again, so he had deprived her of her policewoman identity in a bid to weaken her.


    Would that actually work? Han Yanyan wanted to know, too.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she refused. ¡°Room 812¡¯s Mr. Yao is very generous. Last time, he gave Xiaomei two thousand yuan in tips.¡±


    The policewoman had an easygoing impression of this girl who was working here part-time for money. It wasn¡¯t within her expectations that the girl would refuse to budge for the sake of a good tip right at the critical moment. Secretly anxious, she begged, ¡°Come on, Yanyan, I¡¯m short of money recently. Won¡¯t you let me do it? When your older sister is doing a little better, I¡¯ll pay you back.¡±


    In an embarrassed fashion, Han Yanyan said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m hard-up for cash too. My brother¡¯s medical expenses¡­¡±


    If Han Yanyan had a patient in her family, that would explain why she was working so hard at a part-time job. The policewoman mutely watched her push the cart out. She debated the issue, gritted her teeth, and when Han Yanyan passed by, chopped the back of her neck with a knife hand.


    As if the girl had eyes in the back of her head, she suddenly bent down. The policewoman¡¯s knife hand hit only air.


    Han Yanyan tidied up the dining cart, straightened, opened the door, and called, ¡°Ah Sen, Ah Sen!¡± A boy came running. ¡°Did you call?¡±


    The policewoman¡¯s outstretched hand, ready for a second try, had to be withdrawn.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t enough wine bottles on this shelf. Will you restock them quick?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± said Ah Sen, ¡°That¡¯s right, the supervisor said to do that. I was busy and it slipped my mind.¡±


    The policewoman watched helplessly as Han Yanyan pushed the dining cart out of the prep room and headed for Room 812.


    There were still two bodyguards standing at the door of Room 812, and one of them was still more handsome than the other. This time, Han Yanyan didn¡¯t flirt. She pushed the cart to the door. The bodyguard looked it over and opened the door for her.


    The two groups in the room had obviously just sealed a business deal and were ordering wine to toast. Everything was exactly the same as the last round except for Han Yanyan, who was no longer a policewoman.


    She stopped the cart, pulled out a bottle of red wine from the ice bucket, and unfolded the napkin next to it ¨C this time, the napkin covered a real bottle opener. Han Yanyan opened the bottle expertly and leaned over to pour the wine for the two most important men in the private room.


    Yao Chen leaned forward and caught a glimpse of the waitress.


    She was very young, with downcast eyes and a beautiful nose. Light, professional makeup made her face soft and charming. She was pleasant to look at and made one feel comfortable to see her.


    When Yao Chen¡¯s fingers touched the glass, the girl¡¯s face was less than 20cm away from him. All of a sudden, she said softly, ¡°There¡¯s a waitress here who¡¯s a policewoman, and there are policemen lying in ambush outside, ready to arrest you.¡±


    Her voice was soft and her speech fast. The others only saw her bending over to pour wine. Only Yao Chen, nearest to her, heard what she said.


    His keen, penetrating gaze shot to her face.

 Chapter 34.1

    When the heavily armed police rushed in, those of Yao Chen¡¯s men who were in the corridor allowed themselves to be subdued ¨C after all, the police had guns, and they were supposed to be good citizens.


    The door of the private room was kicked in. Inside, the light was dim. A man pressed a woman down on the sofa. Her mini-skirt was pushed high on her legs, so much so that her underwear could be faintly seen. Slender, graceful legs kindled a fire in men who were already high on adrenaline.


    When he saw that there was only a man and a woman in the private room, Jiang Ye cursed to himself. ¡°Shit.¡±


    The mission had failed! Yao Chen must have known in advance! How had the news been leaked?!


    ¡°Inspector Jiang1, long time no see.¡± Yao Chen, whose good deeds had just been interrupted, got up calmly and slowly buttoned his shirt, covering his lean chest. ¡°You¡¯re all decked out, are the police doing some sort of team building exercise?¡±


    Dozens of guns were pointed at him, yet he talked and laughed, calm and composed. Hovering about his mouth was a touch of fearlessness and a hint of ridicule.


    Team building exercises, my ass! Jiang Ye ignored him. The woman¡¯s beautiful legs distracted for a short half-second, but then at his gesture the officers searched the room, guns drawn. In the time that it took Yao Chen to say those two unhurried sentences, the policemen had turned over the private room. Of course¡­ they found nothing.


    Yao Chen lit himself a cigarette, threw the lighter back on the table, leaned back, and  crossed one ankle over his knee. Cigarette hanging from his mouth, he smiled at the police officers searching in vain. ¡°You¡¯re an old acquaintance, Inspector Jiang. If you came over to our place for team building, I¡¯d give you a 40% discount on drinks.¡±


    Jiang Ye ground his teeth over and over again. The muscles of his jaw bulged several times before he swallowed the curses on the tip of his tongue.


    ¡°Mr. Yao,¡± his voice came out through clenched teeth, ¡°We received a tip that illegal transactions were being performed here. Please come back to the police station with us to assist in the investigation.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course. I¡¯ll be sure to cooperate.¡± Yao Chen flicked the ash off his cigarette and stood quietly. His gentle, scholarly appearance screamed ¡°I am a good citizen¡±.


    Jiang Ye glanced at the woman next to him. Ever since Yao Chen had let her go, the girl had curled up on the sofa and kept silent. Jiang Ye¡¯s eyes swept her from head to toe and found that although her vest and shirt buttons had been torn off, and her neckline was open to reveal her fair skin, she was wearing a waitress¡¯ uniform. Curled up on the sofa, she was hugging her knees and looking rather pale.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with her?¡± he asked.


    Yao Chen glanced at Han Yanyan. ¡°Just a man and a woman doing what men and women do. All completely consensual.¡±


    ¡°Consensual?¡± sneered Jiang Ye, ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem very willing to me.¡±


    He beckoned, and the policewoman disguised as a waitress emerged from behind him. Jiang Ye whispered something to her, and she hurried to the sofa and leaned forward. ¡°Yanyan? Yanyan? ¡±


    Han Yanyan looked up at her. Jiang Ye saw that her face was pale and her eyes as dark as ink.


    ¡°Yanyan, are you all right?¡± the policewoman asked gently. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m actually a policewoman. Come back to the station with me. There is nothing to be afraid of.¡±


    Han Yanyan nodded silently. Her dullness and silence fit the characteristics of ¡®victim¡¯.


    Jiang Ye¡¯s men searched the private room and found no evidence. He knew that the arrest was a failure, but he had spent so long laying out the trap, waiting patiently for the day when he could close the net. Yet Yao Chen had slipped out so easily. He couldn¡¯t just let it go.


    He winked at the policewoman and had her take Han Yanyan out first, thinking that even if there was no other evidence, so long as the girl was willing to cooperate they might still get Yao Chen on a charge of rape¡­ well, attempted rape, anyway.


    Unfortunately, the waitress didn¡¯t cooperate. No matter how the policewoman persuaded and earnestly assured her, she just remained silent. When asked if she was forced, her only answer was ¡°No¡±. As to the security cameras¡­ Yao Chen had been using the room for business, so the cameras were of course ¡®out of order¡¯.


    When Jiang Ye came in from a different interrogation room, Han Yanyan asked softly, ¡°Officer, when can I leave? I have a class tomorrow¡­¡±


    Jiang Ye was taken aback.


    The policewoman came over with a folder and handed it to him. ¡°Here, Inspector.¡±


    He flipped through it. The policewoman had pulled Han Yanyan¡¯s files. Looking up at her, he asked. ¡°You¡¯re a student at S University?¡±


    Han Yanyan nodded. ¡°I just work part-time as a waitress at the club¡­ that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Did Yao Chen threaten you?¡± asked Jiang Ye. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, little sister. If you¡¯re willing to testify, he is sure to go to jail.¡±


    Han Yanyan looked up and met his eyes.


    Although her last time in this world had been forcibly cut off by Leo thanks to her sudden outburst, she had assimilated the role of ¡®Policewoman Han Yanyan¡¯. Jiang Ye was ¡®Policewoman Han Yanyan¡¯s¡¯ boss, and she was actually quite familiar with him.


    He was the one who had asked her ¡°Are you ready?¡± through her earphone last time.


    Han Yanyan refused to testify and denied that Yao Chen had intended to rape her.


    Jiang Ye was left with no choice. Most women would choose silence when it came to this sort of thing, let alone a young girl who hadn¡¯t yet graduated from university. He let her leave, but gave her a card. ¡°This is my phone number. If you need anything, give me a call.¡±


    She looked at him, then took the card.


    Jiang Ye was left with a particular impression of her eyes. Dark, deep, with a scholarly beauty. What a beautiful girl. He watched her slender figure disappear and lit a cigarette.


    The policewoman came over and stubbed it out. ¡°Inspector Jiang, smoking isn¡¯t allowed in the office. The leader said that you would be fined!¡±


    Jiang Ye bowed his head helplessly and flipped through Han Yanyan¡¯s file again. ¡°Stay in contact with this girl if you can. It¡¯s quite a coincidence that she was present. She most certainly saw something or knows something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit suspicious too,¡± answered the policewoman. ¡°I saw the suspects go in with my own eyes, and when I tried to knock her out, she dodged very coincidentally.¡±


    Someone else came by. ¡°Inspector Jiang, Yao Chen¡¯s lawyer is here.¡±


    Inspector Jiang gritted his teeth. ¡°Got it.¡±

 Chapter 34.2

    Han Yanyan didn¡¯t leave the police station immediately. Instead, she went to the bathroom to wash her face. She had had a shock tonight, and it had taken her until now to recover a little.


    She looked in the mirror to see a beautiful face.


    Every ¡°Han Yanyan¡± was young and beautiful, as if being young and beautiful was a prerequisite. Just like the online novels of today, when readers could not accept unattractive female leads.


    She washed her face. Clean water couldn¡¯t usually remove makeup, but thankfully her makeup was light, and her lipstick had been chewed off by Yao Chen, that hooligan. Her mascara was waterproof, so it wouldn¡¯t stain the rest of her face. Looking at the face in the mirror, she found that although it was still beautiful, it was no more beautiful than before. It wasn¡¯t the face of a peerless beauty.


    Han Yanyan was a little obsessed with peerless beauty. She had written many beautiful ladies who were victorious purely on account of their faces, no hard work needed. She had always had the pipe dream of having a face that could launch a thousand ships.


    She didn¡¯t know what on earth was wrong with her fate. She was in Leo¡¯s hands now, and there was nowhere to escape, and indeed she had no idea how to escape, so at the very least she should be able to have some fun in her bitterness. She just wanted to be a peerless beauty, and she hadn¡¯t yet been one so far.


    She dried her face and looked at it. Her eyes and nose were lovely. Although thin, her face was not the pointed, awl-like shape of an online celebrity. The lines of her cheeks were soft, gentle and intellectual. She had a pleasant, comfortable type of beauty.


    When her face was dry, she left the police station. As soon as she walked out the door, she wanted to curse.


    Although she had to wear a mini skirt to work at the club, it was actually late autumn in this world. When she had been pulled out of the clubhouse, the policewoman had given her her vest to cover herself in the likely event of a wardrobe malfunction, since her own vest and shirt buttons had been torn off by Yao Chen. Dressed in a thin vest and shirt, Han Yanyan¡¯s bare legs trembled in the cold evening breeze. She searched her pockets and found nothing. Let alone a wallet, she didn¡¯t even have her cell phone.


    The police had brought them all to the police station in handcuffs. There hadn¡¯t been time to put on a coat or bring a wallet. As for her phone, it had been in her original vest pocket, so it was likely still in Room 812.


    Han Yanyan wavered on whether or not to go back and borrow the money for a taxi from Jiang Ye. But then she reconsidered ¨C if she had too many dealings with the police in this world, it might hinder her strategy against Yao Chen. In the end, she decided to take a taxi back to Jinhao1 Club, which Yao Chen owned, and pay the driver¡¯s fare when she found her wallet.


    Unexpectedly, there were no taxis at the gate of the police station. Who went in and out of the police station at night? No taxi driver wanted to get mixed up in that!


    Rubbing her arms with her hands, Han Yanyan had to walk some distance in the hopes that she could get a taxi. The police station wasn¡¯t located in a busy area. After she had waited for a while, it wasn¡¯t a taxi but a black limousine that stopped in front of her. Her eyes hardened slightly.


    Someone stepped off to open the passenger side door for her. Han Yanyan bent down slightly to look inside and met Yao Chen¡¯s eyes. She shivered and heard him say, ¡°Get in the car.¡±


    Han Yanyan didn¡¯t hesitate, but got into the limo and sat down opposite him. The car was heated, and suddenly going from chilly to warm, she sneezed twice.


    Yao Chen looked over at her. Holding his cigarette in his mouth, he took off his suit jacket and threw it at her. Han Yanyan quickly put it on, sniffled and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He merely inhaled from his cigarette and exhaled white smoke.


    Although the car was a limo, it was still a confined space. Han Yanyan immediately found it hard to breathe.


    Yao Chen probably didn¡¯t know what being a gentleman was. Although he was now wearing a fancy suit, he was in fact a gangster who never graduated high school. He had fought his way up to his current position from the streets. Now, he was the uncrowned king of the underground world of K City. One couldn¡¯t expect such a man to be polite enough to take the initiative of putting out his cigarette in front of a lady.


    Even in the car, he always sat with one ankle on the other knee. It was a posture that showed the dominance embedded deep into his bones.


    Thankfully, this limo had two rows of seats facing each other. It was spacious enough that with Han Yanyan facing backwards and sitting diagonally from Yao Chen, their knees didn¡¯t touch.


    The rear compartment lights were on. It was a soft, dim light. Yao Chen examined her from head to toe and finally asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Han Yanyan,¡± she answered.


    Yao Chen nodded. He opened the compartment underneath the armrest, took out two bundles of banknotes and threw them at her. ¡°For you.¡±


    One fell on the seat and the other on Han Yanyan¡¯s legs, red bills against fair skin. The contrast made one think about transactions involving money and sex.

 Chapter 35.1

    Although she had once joked that ¡°I wish some rich man would slap me in the face with a wad of cash¡±, this was in fact the very first time Han Yanyan had had money thrown at her. With curses in her heart but no expression on her face, she tucked the two bundles away into the only two pockets she had ¨C the left and right pockets of her vest.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Yao.¡±


    Yao Chen nodded. ¡°You deserve it.¡±


    He exhaled again.


    Eldest Miss Han used to smoke in the previous world, but this Han Yanyan had a very low tolerance of secondhand smoke. She choked up and coughed.


    A brand-new world, a brand-new body.


    In the dim light, Yao Chen¡¯s bright eyes assessed her. ¡°We were in a rush before, so I didn¡¯t get to ask. How did you know?¡±


    Han Yanyan looked up at the mission goal of this world.


    He had on a completely different face, but the aura he gave off was just as powerful. But what made Han Yanyan even more uncertain than his oppressive presence was the familiarity she had sensed when he had pressed her down on the sofa for an act.


    She called it an act, but Yao Chen had done it for real. If the police had taken their time, she thought he might actually have had sex with her.


    Back then, as soon as she had tipped him off, he had only given her a look, then chosen to believe her without asking any questions. Trading partners and goods were immediately shown out, and then he had taken her by the arm, dragged her into his embrace, ripped open her shirt and said to her, ¡°Cooperate with me. I¡¯ll make it worth your while.¡±


    At that time, Han Yanyan had been mentally prepared for anything to happen. Yao Chen had lowered her onto the sofa, tore open her clothes and made out with her. He was an experienced man and easily found her sensitive spots. Touched expertly, given pleasure, Han Yanyan responded without even knowing and their bodies seemed to merge.


    When she realized what was happening, the little hairs on her body stood erect.


    Cold sweat prickled the nape of her neck.


    A man and a woman who had been lovers for a long time were intimately familiar with each other¡¯s habits. He wore a completely different face, he was a completely different man, yet when Yao Chen¡¯s body entangled hers, she recognized him immediately.


    Ding Yao!


    It was like an explosion went off in her brain. Just then, the police rushed in, and Yao Chen let her go. She didn¡¯t realize how white her face was.


    It wasn¡¯t until she was taken to the interrogation room at the police station and repeatedly soothed by the policewoman that she slowly recovered her calm.


    She looked at Yao Chen. She had switched to a new body and a new face. Was it the same for Ding Yao? If Yao Chen was Ding Yao, would he recognize her too? Would he, just like her, recognize her through the fit of their bodies and the habits of her caress?


    Han Yanyan regarded him, full of thoughts. But Yao Chen seemed no different. He only narrowed his eyes, waiting for her answer.


    The girl was looking at him strangely. Her dark, varnished eyes were too deep and mature for her young face.


    However, this was quite normal for the sort of girl who worked in a nightclub. Those girls invariably came from poverty, and often grew up quickly compared to their peers. Not to mention this girl, who had been shrewd enough to tip him off in that situation, daring enough to cooperate with him when acting for the police, and was quite a realistic actress on top of that.


    ¡°I overheard it by accident.¡± Han Yanyan didn¡¯t try to dodge the question, but looked Yao Chen in the eye. ¡°I was feeling a little uncomfortable, and I thought I would sit down for a bit in the prep room. I was sitting on a stool in the corner, behind a shelf, so the policewoman didn¡¯t see me when she came in. She thought the room was empty, so she used her comm to make a report to the policemen outside. I heard everything. ¡±


    A very fair and reasonable explanation that conveniently also made her out to sound ¡®decisive¡¯.


    Yao Chen found it quite interesting. Thanks to Han Yanyan¡¯s face, most people would think that she would be the sort of person to turn in money to the police station and call them when she saw a thief. But instead, she had chosen to tip him off.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I need the money,¡± Han Yanyan answered his question.


    ¡°How long have you been working in Jinhao?¡±


    ¡°Two months,¡± she replied. ¡°My classmate introduced me. She said that I would make more money earning tips than tutoring.¡±


    Female college students.


    Yao Chen was no stranger to this group. He had several ¡®financial companies¡¯ under his name which specialized in loans targeting young female students1. It went without saying that there were plenty of undergrads and grad students among the escorts working at Jinhao. His brothers were all mostly uneducated, and men like them were very keen on sleeping with young women more highly educated than themselves. It gave them great satisfaction and stroked their ego, so female college students were particularly popular.


    Yao Chen once again met Han Yanyan¡¯s eyes. While in the private room, his thoughts had not been on her. He had had her under him on the sofa, but his ears were on the sounds outside the door, wondering if his business partner had left in time and whether or not the boxes of goods had been safely transferred.


    But now his eyes swept over Han Yanyan¡¯s slender, graceful neck and tantalizing legs. It suddenly occurred to him that in the few seconds before the police had broken in, the girl¡¯s soft body had seemingly surrendered to him.


    ¡°Are you very short of money?¡± he asked.


    Han Yanyan lowered her eyes. ¡°One of my family members is sick¡­¡±


    ¡°Being an escort will make you more money than waitressing.¡± Yao Chen took a puff of his cigarette. ¡°With your face and my backing, I can guarantee that you¡¯ll be popular.¡±


    She looked up at him, her lips tightly pressed together, and said nothing.


    Yao Chen observed her beautiful face. ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡± Han Yanyan replied.


    ¡°Why not?¡± he asked. ¡°You don¡¯t have to work this hard.¡±


    First make the worst offer, then throw out a slightly better one. For those who are forced to choose, the latter seems more acceptable. Han Yanyan¡¯s hands clenched tightly inside her sleeves. Here, once again, was a familiar feeling.


    Her lips moved. She almost called out that name. Then she pinched herself inside her sleeves. Awake again, she refused in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Yao. I have a boyfriend.¡±


    Yao Chen sneered a little, raised his chin ever so slightly, and said it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Where do you live?¡± he asked again. ¡°I¡¯ll send you back. ¡±


    ¡°I have to go back to the club,¡± she replied. ¡°All my things are still there.¡±


    Yao Chen pressed the intercom in the car and said to the driver, ¡°Back to Jinhao.¡±

 Chapter 35.2

    Han Yanyan got off at the entrance to Jinhao, thanked Yao Chen, returned his suit, and ran in hugging herself.


    Due to having been the subject of a police raid, Jinhao was closed temporarily for the night. The staff hadn¡¯t yet dispersed, and when the supervisor saw her, he pulled her aside to blather on.


    ¡°I just went in to deliver wine and got caught up in it,¡± she told him.


    She changed her clothes, took her bag, and took a taxi home. When  it was time to pay the fare, she opened her wallet to find only a few thin bills within. The wallet wasn¡¯t branded either, but made out of the sort of artificial leather an ordinary student would use, the sort of cheap goods that could be found at the market.


    She had gone from extravagance to frugality. From Eldest Miss Han, who owned millions in assets, she had suddenly fallen to a waitress at a nightclub. The drop was so large that it made her a little uncomfortable.


    When she got to her door, she took out the key and unlocked it, then nearly tripped over the boxes sitting there in the dark. Someone else turned on the lights in the back room, and when the lights came on, she saw several large boxes sitting on the ground.


    ¡°You¡¯re home?¡± came a boy¡¯s voice, ¡°Why weren¡¯t you answering the phone?¡± A young man in pajamas stepped out from the back room.


    He was handsome and fine featured. This was ¡®Waitress Han Yanyan¡¯s¡¯ boyfriend. Han Yanyan had mentioned him to Yan Chen prior, but now the pre-downloaded information in her head kicked in and he became a real, three-dimensional person.


    She felt around in her pocket, then remembered that she had forgotten to find her phone before leaving Room 812. ¡°I lost my phone,¡± she answered. ¡°Something happened at the place where I work, it was kind of a mess and I forgot to find it afterward.¡± She paused, then asked, ¡°Are you all packed?¡±


    ¡°Mmhmm,¡± her boyfriend said. ¡°Your mother called me because she couldn¡¯t contact you.¡±


    ¡°What did she say?¡± Han Yanyan asked.


    Her boyfriend hesitated. ¡°She said that she needed money urgently.¡±


    ¡°Did you give her any?¡±


    ¡°No, since you told me not to. I told her that you would call her back once you got home.¡±


    Han Yanyan nodded. ¡°Got it.¡±


    She put down her and hung up her coat.


    Her boyfriend felt like something wasn¡¯t quite right. This scenario had played out before. Every time Han Yanyan¡¯s mother had tried to ¡°borrow¡± money from him, she would be nervous, ashamed, sad and angry. But the Han Yanyan today wasn¡¯t displaying any such emotions. She seemed extraordinarily calm, and very different from the past.


    ¡°What happened at work?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No idea. A group of policemen brought us to the station for questioning.¡±


    ¡°You too?¡± her boyfriend frowned.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t much,¡± she answered. ¡°They just asked me a few questions, then let me go.¡±


    This only made his frown more pronounced, but he let it go and said nothing more, only asking, ¡°Won¡¯t you call your mother back?¡±


    Han Yanyan looked at the clock on the wall. ¡°It¡¯s too late. I¡¯ll call her back tomorrow. I¡¯m going to go take a bath.¡±


    Her boyfriend stayed alone in the narrow hall, gazing at the packed boxes, for quite some time.


    After taking a shower and blow-drying her hair, Han Yanyan went to bed. Her boyfriend was already there, lying with his back to her. When she got into bed, their bodies touched. Though he didn¡¯t move, she knew from his breathing that he was not asleep.


    ¡°What time do you have to be up tomorrow?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯ll set the alarm for you.¡±


    The boy wriggled over, turned, and hugged her, burying his face in her neck.


    He had received a letter of acceptance from a foreign university, and had already got his visa. He would fly out in two weeks, and planned to spend the last two weeks at home with his parents. All his things were already packed. Tomorrow, he would leave.


    Han Yanyan stroked his back gently while combing through the information in her mind.


    ¡°Waitress Han Yanyan¡± was a junior in university, and in her family she had both her parents and a younger brother several years younger. They had originally been a normal working-class family; her father was a white-collar worker, and her mother had retired a few years ago to become a housewife. Because they lived in a small city, the cost of living was low and they had never wanted for food or clothing.


    But who would have thought? When her younger brother was still in high school, he had been lured online into selling a kidney in order to purchase a new phone.


    Although theoretically one could live on only one kidney, as the old saying said ¡®it never rains but it pours¡¯. Something went wrong with her brother¡¯s only kidney, and now he was on dialysis for the rest of his life. Insurance would only partly cover the cost, so every month, the family had to pay several thousand to keep him on dialysis. Her younger brother hadn¡¯t liked studying, so he had simply dropped out of school and was staying at home.


    In addition to paying for his treatment, their parents were also supplementing him with other medicines. Ever since then, not only had she stopped receiving tuition and living expenses, but they had even asked her to go out and work to send money home.


    And not only that, but when they found out that she had a boyfriend, they had even borrowed money from him several times. Not knowing the situation at first, he had lent them the money, but when he later noticed that something was strange, he had informed Han Yanyan.


    Ashamed and angry, she had reimbursed him out of her own pocket.


    He was a handsome, gentle young man. For ¡®Waitress Han Yanyan¡¯, he was likely the best thing that had happened to her in her young life, and now he was going to study abroad in a foreign country.


    Though they had agreed upon a peaceful breakup, deep down in her heart ¡®Waitress Han Yanyan¡¯ didn¡¯t want him to go.


    But Han Yanyan herself was fine with it.


    The boy was just a young man who hadn¡¯t yet become independent, and his family was just another ordinary middle-class family. They simply wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the fire pit that was the Han family. In Han Yanyan¡¯s opinion as a neutral third party, a peaceful breakup was the best ending that these two could hope for.


    What really struck her speechless was that ¡°Waitress Han Yanyan¡± was an absolute carbon copy of Bai Yue from the last world. Both of them came from patriarchal families leeching off of their daughters¡¯ with this ¡°Han Yanyan¡± in a worse spot, even. The biggest thing that the she had in common with Bai Yue was that they were both soft, malleable steamed buns, trapped by kinship and family.


    But this ¡°Han Yanyan¡± was a little better than Bai Yue. She wasn¡¯t expecting anyone to save her. Instead, she bowed her head and gritted her teeth, working several jobs at an early age to support herself.


    But that alone wasn¡¯t enough. Even if you could endure, bear hardships and take on hard work, if you didn¡¯t have the mental fortitude to cut yourself off, you would never be rid of this fate.


    As she was internally sighing such thoughts, the boy propped himself up on an elbow, kissed her face, and then her lips.

 Chapter 36.1

    A simple kiss was nothing, just relaxing.


    But when he wanted to go further, Han Yanyan caught his hand, ¡°Let¡¯s go to sleep. I¡¯m tired.¡±


    The boy was a little disappointed. But Han Yanyan wasn¡¯t interested in a pre-breakup lay. As far as her perception of time was concerned, she had been forced from her beloved¡¯s side only a few hours ago, and she had no interest in falling in love or making love at the moment.


    The time went by quickly, but the hours were full of fear and anxiety. Han Yanyan lay in bed, her mind awash with thoughts.


    Whether or not Yao Chen was Ding Yao, he was rich, powerful, courageous, and strategic, a very difficult man. The funniest thing was that even Leo hadn¡¯t given her any clear instructions on the best way to capture1 him.


    If you asked her, the best way would be to point a gun at his head, have him recall the sins he had committed, then award him a bullet. That would be great!


    But she had already tried that as soon as she got into the world, and nearly died as a result.


    She calmed herself down, recalled the past, combed through her thoughts. This world was obviously a ¡®normal¡¯ world, without any of the ¡®supernatural powers¡¯ of the previous world. Whether or not the ability to destruct the world belonged to Yao Chen was still unknown. Han Yanyan had a hunch that what had happened back then was more like triggering some sort of self-defense mechanism.


    After having dealt with Yao Chen for a few hours, she was convinced that he had no memory of the first time they had met at all. From what she could see, he was just like any ordinary mafia boss. He didn¡¯t seem to have any super powers.


    How might one capture such a man?


    She closed her eyes, thinking quietly.


    No one was perfect. No matter how powerful someone seemed, they must have a weakness. Everyone had wishes, likes, favourites, even if they themselves didn¡¯t realize it.


    Ding Yao, for example, liked to tame wild horses.


    ¡­¡­


    Then¡­ then if Yao Chen was Ding Yao¡­


    Han Yanyan opened her eyes and fixed them fiercely at the ceiling.


    Beside her, that rejected boy tossed and turned for a long time before finally falling asleep. The next day, they both got up early for him to catch his plane.


    Han Yanyan helped him carry his suitcases downstairs, watched him pack his luggage into the taxi, close the trunk, and then turn to look at her.


    ¡°About that, I paid the rent for one more month¡­¡± he mumbled.


    The house had been rented in his name. When the two of them had become lovers, she had moved in. He hadn¡¯t wanted her help paying the rent. Now that he was gone, she surely wouldn¡¯t be able to afford it on her own, and would have to move back to the school dorms, which would make it inconvenient for her to work at night. But he wasn¡¯t yet financially independent. While still on his parents¡¯ dime, all he could do for her was one more month¡¯s rent.


    After that, there would be nothing more to say.


    Now that they were at this point, he didn¡¯t know know what more to say. Anything he could have said had already been said when they had agreed to break up. For example, he had advised her not to work at the nightclub, but she needed the money. For example, she had tearfully asked him if he could stay, but he couldn¡¯t.


    One couldn¡¯t live on love alone. Life was vast, and only resentment could come of relying solely on love to fill a void.


    His path in life had been arranged by both his parents and his own efforts, and his future was clear. But what about her life? What was the future of the girl he loved?


    He felt confused, worried and powerless.


    At last he said only, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Han Yanyan smiled slightly. She gently straightened his coat and replied, ¡°No need¡­¡±


    No need to apologize.


    This boy shone with goodness in her ¡®memory¡¯. He represented to ¡°Han Yanyan¡± all that was joy and happiness. It was a good thing that they had parted so peacefully.


    Tears were welling up in his eyes. He felt like something was different about her, but her calm eyes were somehow reassuring.


    As Han Yanyan watched the taxi leave in the morning breeze blow, she began to wonder about the purpose of the boy¡¯s presence.


    She had been through more than one world, and been named ¡°Han Yanyan¡± in all of them. This was her second time around in this world, and her identity had even changed after restarting. It was apparent that Leo had some control over these ¡°worlds¡±. Although he couldn¡¯t enable her to automatically power-up her strength, he could obviously make some changes and adjustments to the beginning.


    So what was the purpose of her ¡°boyfriend¡± in this world?


    Was he just an excuse to refuse Yao Chen?


    It was the weekend. In the past, she would tutor four students on weekend days, but when she got the waitressing job at Jinhao, she had been able to take a break. Nowadays, she only took two students a day on weekends.


    It was only six o¡¯clock in the morning. Han Yanyan went calmly back to sleep, got up at eight and made a phone call home through the landline.


    ¡°Why are you only calling back now? Why didn¡¯t you answer the phone all night yesterday?¡± her mother complained.


    ¡°I lost my phone,¡± answered Han Yanyan simply. ¡°Why were you looking for me?¡±


    Her mother heaved a deep sigh before saying, ¡°Your brother¡­ isn¡¯t happy. He wants a gaming laptop.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± she replied.


    Before her mother could rejoice, she heard her daughter say, ¡°If he stopped dialysis for a month, he¡¯ll have enough for a gaming laptop.¡±


    ¡°What, what are you saying? How could he stop dialysis? Are you trying to kill him?!¡± her mother accused, startled.


    ¡°Since you know how important life is,¡± answered Han Yanyan coldly, ¡°Save the money carefully for dialysis. Or he could go and get a job himself to buy what he wants.¡±

 Chapter 36.2

    Her daughter had never spoken like this before. For a moment, her mother was shocked. Then she began to cry, ¡°How can you say that? Your brother will never get better. He needs dialysis, and he¡¯s stuck at home every day. He¡¯s so unhappy, and he¡¯s only got a few more years to live! You¡¯re his sister, can¡¯t you just do something small to make him happy? You can squeeze out a few thousand yuan, it¡¯s not like it costs you money to live with your boyfriend!¡±


    ¡°First off,¡± Han Yanyan replied, ¡°Being on dialysis doesn¡¯t mean that he can¡¯t do anything. Just look online. Plenty of patients don¡¯t give up their normal lives. They study hard, work hard, and earn money to treat themselves. He stays at home because he wants to stay at home, do nothing and let other people support him. Insurance only covers half his dialysis payments, and I¡¯m paying for the rest. Since he¡¯s spending my money, I get a say in this. I won¡¯t force him to go to school or work, but he¡¯s not getting a gaming laptop.¡±


    ¡°I broke up with Xiao Xu, just like you wanted. But I¡¯m not going home to have a blind date with the contractor you introduced. I¡¯m going to school here and I work here. I can keep paying for your precious son¡¯s medical expenses, but if you try and trick me into going back again to have another blind date, you can forget about getting another penny out of me.¡±


    Han Yanyan couldn¡¯t care less about how the woman on the other side was shocked, indignant, raged, and wept. She hung up and sat down on the sofa in contemplation.


    A boyfriend who left after just one night, a family you couldn¡¯t even look at¡­ Why was the setting of this world so good? She was free from any emotional attachments, instead of the last world, when a fallen pillar had crushed the father who had loved and protected her wholeheartedly. She hadn¡¯t even dared to look back.


    The less interference, the better.


    Han Yanyan glanced at the clock on the wall, ready to leave for her tutoring lesson. But it suddenly occurred to her that she hadn¡¯t yet gotten her mobile phone back. Any modern person would feel uncomfortable going out without it.


    She dialed a number from the landline. It rang several times before someone picked up.


    A slightly hoarse voice, like a man who had just woken, said, ¡°Hello?¡±


    When Yao Chen was released from the police station, the items that the police had taken in their search were returned to him. He had left Han Yanyan at the gate of Jinhao, then opened the brown paper bag and poured out the odds and ends inside only to find that there was an extra phone within.


    The bright screen wallpaper was a selfie of a couple young and beautiful enough to make anyone jealous. The girl was lovely and the boy was handsome, and most importantly, they were so young that one could feel the collagen on their faces through the screen.


    Yao Chen bragged that he was in his prime, in a man¡¯s golden years. But in contrast to these youths, he couldn¡¯t help but feel old.


    He stuck out his tongue, casually unlocked the phone, ignored a whole bunch of missed calls, and opened the photo album.


    It was full of a girl¡¯s pleasant face, along with a young man photographed in obvious happiness. Some photos were taken at home, and though they were not revealing or pornographic, they were very private. Through them, Yao Chen caught a glimpse of the girl¡¯s life. Rice, oil and salt1 were accompanied by sweet feelings; by plain, pedestrian happiness; by frugal bliss.


    But the girl in the photos seemed very content.


    Yao Chen¡¯s mouth quirked in a smile. He slipped the phone easily into his pocket.


    When he woke the next morning, he went downstairs to the kitchen to find something to eat and heard the sound of a phone vibrating. The phone that he had thrown onto the coffee table last night when he got home was shaking. The caller ID was ¡°Home¡±, and the avatar was a photo of two young faces together, smiling happily and foolishly.


    Yao Chen silently picked up. ¡°Hello?¡±


    Han Yanyan paused for a moment, ¡°Mr. Yao?¡±


    There was some special connection between Han Yanyan and her mission objectives. She could always distinguish them at a glance, and recognize them when they met. Even through the telephone line, she immediately recognized Yao Chen. Just as she had been thinking about the best way to attack him, he had delivered himself to her door. No matter what, she had to interact with him before she could figure out what made him tick.


    ¡°Mr. Yao,¡± she explained, ¡°I¡¯m Han Yanyan. This is my phone. It might have gotten left with you yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Yao Chen said casually, pouring himself coffee, ¡°Come get it.¡±


    Han Yanyan thought for a moment before declining, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Yao, but I have to work during the day. If it¡¯s convenient for you, could you leave it at Jinhao? I¡¯ll be there to work tonight.¡±


    Oh? ¡°Got it,¡± answered Yao Chen. He hung up the phone.


    On the screen was the girl¡¯s pleasant, sweet face, as pure and innocent as a lamb. She had delivered herself to his door.


    Han Yanyan tutored during the day and afterward resigned from both families. So long as she was able to refuse the unreasonable demands of her wonderful family members, her salary and tips from working at Jinhao were enough to cover her tuition, living expenses, and younger brother¡¯s treatment every month. There was no need for her to waste her time and energy working.


    That night she went to Jinhao on time, changed into her work uniform, and prepared to ask for her phone back. When Yao Chen had nothing to do, he often spent his nights at Jinhao.


    When she asked, she found that he wasn¡¯t there yet. It was still too early.


    As the guests gradually arrived and she began getting busier, her supervisor called for her. ¡°Mr. Yao asked for you in 812.¡±


    Han Yanyan put down what she was doing and went. When she knocked, she found the room is full of men and Yao Chen sitting in the middle, surrounded by his minions.


    When she appeared, the men turned their heads to look at her. Within this nightclub, every man looked at women with an overtone of erotic ambiguity.


    Han Yanyan stood there as they looked her up and down. This scene was¡­ just like deja vu.


    But this time she wasn¡¯t going to die for the man in the middle. Stabbing a man in his innermost heart and making him remember you forever didn¡¯t actually require such a sacrifice.


    After all, hate lasted longer than love.

 Chapter 37.1

    ¡°Mr. Yao.¡± Han Yanyan walked around the tea cart and stood in front of him, her hands folded before her. It was a standard pose, very professional and also very¡­ meek.


    ¡°What is it?¡± It seemed as though Yao Chen had amnesia. He was acting as though it hadn¡¯t been he who had called her by name to 812.


    Are you having fun? Han Yanyan mocked inwardly, but her face was tranquil as she said, ¡°You asked me to come here to get my phone.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Yao Chen seemed to remember. He turned to a bald man beside him and said, ¡°Sanhu, where¡¯s that phone?¡±


    Although the bald man was also wearing an expensive suit, tattoos climbed from the top of his collar all the way to the back of his head. He stopped short only of having the word ¡®gangster¡¯ tattooed on his face. The room contained quite a few men in suits, and if they took off their shirts, Han Yanyan guessed that there would be a whole room full of sleeve tattoos.


    Yao Chen had come up from the bottom along with his cronies. Now that they had money, they were all dressed like a dog1.


    Among them, the front-liner Yao Chen was doing best. If you didn¡¯t know his background, you might think he was a business elite.


    Sanhu smiled happily, dug into his pocket, and took out Han Yanyan¡¯s phone. Yao Chen had originally been holding onto it, but now here it was in bald Sanhu¡¯s hands. Who knew how many people had browsed through ¡°Han Yanyan¡±¡®s photos? It was impossible for these highschool dropouts to know what it meant to respect another person¡¯s privacy, let alone respecting a woman.


    Han Yanyan had just experienced two years of actual high society and she looked at the group without showing any sort of unease. Calmly, she took her phone from Sanhu and said to Yao Chen, ¡°Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Yao.¡±


    Yao Chen nodded.


    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, Mr. Yao, I¡¯ll head back to work.¡±


    ¡°Hey now, little sister, don¡¯t go. Come stay a bit with us. Boss Yao is feeling pretty good today, have a few drinks with him,¡± Sanhu reached out to pull her over. The others followed suit, catcalling and whistling.


    Han Yanyan sidestepped Sanhu¡¯s huge paw.


    When she had realized in the previous world that she might still retain the skills of ¡°previous Han Yanyan¡±, she had recruited a fighting coach for herself to hone the wild and untutored skills she had learned under Ding Yao. And she now even had the skillset from ¡®policewoman Han Yanyan¡¯ in addition, making dodging something like that a breeze.


    Standing still, she turned to Yao Chen. ¡°Mr. Yao?¡±


    Yao Chen, who had just been watching the show, finally said to Sanhu, ¡°Enough, she¡¯s not an escort.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just having a few drinks together,¡± Sanhu smiled, ¡°She wouldn¡¯t have to do nothin¡¯. Ain¡¯t no big deal.¡±


    Before Yao Chen could say anything, however, Han Yanyan lifted her eyes to him and retorted, ¡°That¡¯s incorrect, sir.¡±


    All the eyes in the room turned to her. But ¡®Eldest Miss Han¡¯ had seen far greater battles, and the stares slid off her like water off a duck¡¯s back.


    With that sort of naivete peculiar to students, she said seriously and in a slightly aloof manner, ¡°I am an employee of Jinhao. Mr. Yao is paying me to work hard. Each private room has its own assigned waiters, and there are only so many of us. Furthermore, today is the weekend and our busiest time of the week. While I¡¯m here my other colleagues will have to pick up the slack, and will inevitably make mistakes due to being doubly busy. This will lead to the dissatisfaction of our guests and affect Mr. Yao¡¯s business.¡±


    Sanhu smiled. ¡°Yes, yes, you¡¯re Mr. Yao¡¯s employee, but we¡¯re all Boss Yao¡¯s brothers. You¡¯re an employee, so it¡¯s perfect if you come have a drink with us!¡±


    Han Yanyan didn¡¯t laugh. ¡°If an enterprise wishes to grow, the worst possible thing is for there to be no distinction between public and private affairs, for responsibilities, rights, and roles to be unclear. Intervention for personal reasons in management performed by a professional undermines the entire management system.¡±


    She had thought to act like a ¡®frank and honest¡¯ student, but a little bit of ¡®Eldest Miss Han¡¯ in the conference room slipped out.


    Though she was obviously a young girl still in school, when she wasn¡¯t careful one could catch a glimpse of a maturity that didn¡¯t quite line up with her age. Yao Chen¡¯s eyes scrutinized Han Yanyan¡¯s face, thinking back to how that face had been less than 20cm away from him last night, how she had tipped him off calmly and briefly. How later in the car, a man had tempted her with money, and this young girl had calmly refused.


    A clear head, and a strong will.


    ¡°Will y¡¯all just listen to that! She even read me a sermon!¡± Sanhu slapped his thighs, laughing.


    The rest of the men burst into raucous laughter. They were every one of them uncivilized and uneducated. Han Yanyan¡¯s words went in one ear and out the other, but they enjoyed the spectacle of a beautiful girl trying to seriously reason with a bunch of hooligan. It was quite amusing.


    Only Yao Chen looked at her with probing eyes.


    In a room full of gangsters and rogues, only the biggest rogue of all actually listened to what she was saying. A man¡¯s mind is made up by his seat.2


    ¡°All right, Sanhu,¡± he finally said. ¡°The club is currently busy, let her go and work.¡±


    To Han Yanyan, he instructed, ¡°Have Emily, May and Sakura come over.¡±


    These were Jinhao¡¯s ¡®superstars¡¯, each one of them gorgeous enough to bring a man to his knees. Sanhu immediately lost interest in uniformed, lightly made-up Han Yanyan.


    She might be beautiful, but she would obviously be no fun when it came to night play. For a man out at night seeking pleasure, a girl had to be energetic enough to enjoy a little rough and tumble.


    Han Yanyan withdrew from 812 and called the escorts in. When they heard that Boss Yao had asked for them, the girls went gladly. Not only was Boss Yao rich, but he was handsome, and he owned the club. Anyone who could sink her claws into him was getting a free rise to the top.


    She watched them happily enter 812 before returning to the area she was responsible for.


    Yao Chen was powerful, rich, and his position was unshakable. What could a man like him possibly want?

 Chapter 37.2

    The group was obviously a bunch of ruffians and thugs who had gotten their start fighting and collecting protection money. So why would they all be dressing like white-collar workers? Han Yanyan didn¡¯t believe for a moment that they had that sort of taste in clothing.


    Within this group of people, Yao Chen was the red flower, and all others green leaves1. They wore clothing ill-suited to their own temperaments merely to be in tune with him. This was Yao Chen¡¯s taste in clothing, Yao Chen¡¯s inner thoughts and outer pursuit.


    Yao Chen was thirty-three years old this year, about to turn thirty-four, in the midst of the transformation from youth to middle age. He had passed the stage of cutting his way from one end of the street to the other with a watermelon knife, of fighting over territory; the era when blood flowed in and fire flowed out. Now he had wealth and assets, and he had begun to pursue identity and social status.


    If Han Yanyan wasn¡¯t mistaken in her assessment, Yao Chen actually preferred to be called ¡°Mr. Yao¡±, not ¡°Boss Yao¡±. The latter phrase reeked of gangster, and that reek was exactly what he was trying to whitewash through the wearing of branded suits.


    Ever so slightly, Han Yanyan got a vague sense of what Yao Chen was like.


    A man who had had enough of earning dirty money, who was ready to wash his hands clean.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s waitressing job was in the evening, divided into evening and night shifts. Today she was on night shift, and got off in the wee hours of the morning. When she changed her clothes and took the staff elevator to the first floor, she ran into Yao Chen, Sanhu, and a few others in their group exiting the customer elevator with women in their arms. As one, the doormen on the first floor bowed in unison to them. ¡°Goodbye, Mr. Yao.¡±


    Han Yanyan didn¡¯t step forward. She stood flat against the wall, and when the group of men walked past, all up to no good at first glance, she quietly followed them out.


    Outside the door waited not only Yao Chen¡¯s luxury cars, but a number of henchmen who were unqualified to follow him into the private rooms and could only hang around outside waiting.


    When she spotted one of the young men, Han Yanyan¡¯s mouth turned up in a smile.


    The young man was named Xiao Yang, and he had just joined the criminal police force this year. Last time, both he and ¡®policewoman Han Yanyan¡¯ had been undercover. This time around, Han Yanyan had turned into a young college student, but Xiao Yang was still undercover. He was Jiang Ye¡¯s eyes and ears on Yao Chen.


    Was it so easy to wash one¡¯s hands clean? If everyone could do terrible things and then whitewash themselves once they had earned enough money, then what was the law for?


    As the group noisily boarded their vehicles, she slipped out along the wall and jogged away. She had no other option but to take a taxi home, and if she wanted to catch a taxi, she had to get out of the parking lot and wait outside at the side of the road.


    She had already checked ¨C there was no such thing as Uber in this world. Leo was so behind the times!


    Yao Chen let the woman he was with get on the limo first. As he held the door for her and was about to step in, his eyes glanced across a gentle, graceful figure slipping behind the crowd and running to the parking lot gate.


    At work, long-haired waitresses had to have their hair put up behind their heads. Now that she was off-duty her wavy long hair was draped over her shoulders, swinging lightly back and forth as she ran.


    As the cars slowly left the yard, through the windows tinted heavily with black film and the smoke of his cigarette Yao Chen watched the girl waving for a taxi by the roadside. In the cold of the late autumn night, she had donned a thin jacket. Her straight, slender legs were wrapped in jeans.


    Her clothes were cheap, worth far less than the women in the car next to him. But it was good to be young. No matter how shoddy the make of the clothes on her body, they couldn¡¯t cover up her youth.


    Yao Chen felt like he might really be getting old.


    Opposite him sat Sanhu, already entangled with a woman. He lived a loose and dissolute life, spending money, drinking wine and sleeping around.


    Yao Chen was once just like him, but he had now grown past this stage. One¡¯s thinking changed once one had a certain amount of wealth. He shook out another cigarette, looked at Sanhu, and smiled mockingly.


    When he turned around again, the girl standing by the roadside was now far away. Taxis didn¡¯t come by often in the wee hours of the morning. Yao Chen could still see her slender figure standing there alone.


    He exhaled the smoke from his lungs, pushed away the woman cuddling up to him, and made a call.


    Overhearing, Sanhu struggled from his woman¡¯s breast and asked, ¡°Was it for that chick? The one who read me a lecture?¡±


    ¡°Mn,¡± Yao Chen grunted casually.


    ¡°Brother,¡± Sanhu laughed, ¡°You¡¯re quite attentive.¡±


    Yao Chen laughed back with a sneer, then took no further notice of him.


    Han Yanyan stood there for a long time without seeing a taxi. She was just thinking about whether she should walk further down the road when a car suddenly stopped in front of her.


    The window rolled down to expose Xiao Yang¡¯s face. She tensed slightly.


    Xiao Yang craned his neck out and asked, ¡°It¡¯s Han Yanyan, isn¡¯t it? Hey. I¡¯m Xiao Yang, do you recognize me? I¡¯m one of Mr. Yao¡¯s people. Mr. Yao asked me to take you home.¡±

 Chapter 38.1

    A man always thinks about the woman he can¡¯t get. There¡¯s nothing strange about this ¨C it¡¯s just how nasty the world is.


    But it was Xiao Yang driving¡­ Han Yanyan bent and waved to the young man in the car. ¡°No, I¡¯ll just take a taxi. There¡¯s no need to bother you. Thank you. ¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a good time to catch a taxi,¡± Xiao Yang replied. ¡°Just get in. Mr. Yao wanted me to give you a ride, if you don¡¯t get in I won¡¯t know what to tell him.¡±


    Han Yanyan considered it, then got on. ¡°Thanks for the trouble.¡±


    Xiao Yang grinned. ¡°No trouble at all. It¡¯s not my gas we¡¯re using. If you want to thank someone, thank Mr. Yao. Where do you live?¡±


    Han Yanyan told him her address. Xiao Yang turned the wheel, hit the gas and set off. On the way, he chatted with her.


    ¡°Are you a student?¡±


    ¡°University S? Awesome! You must be a really good student!¡±


    ¡°Why do you work here? Can you get back into the school grounds afterward?¡±


    ¡°No, I was just asking. I don¡¯t know how school access works, I never went to college. I was just making things up.¡±


    ¡°Dialysis must be pretty pricey. You¡¯ve got it hard.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know whether this snooping was instigated by Yao Chen or undercover Xiao Yang¡¯s own curiousity, but Han Yanyan took the opportunity to reveal her background. It didn¡¯t matter if she was revealing it to Yao Chen or Jiang Ye. Either was fine.


    Working part-time, trying hard to make money, paying for her own tuition and bills, all these things established her character as a strong, independent college student with a sick younger brother.


    Xiao Yang was quite distressed.


    He had originally been trying to act like a gangster by talking in a careless, casual way. But inside, he was a hot-blooded policeman who had just graduated from the police academy, and by the end he had begun persuading and remonstrating with her.


    ¡°It¡¯s true you can make a lot of money at the club, but it¡¯s not a good place for you to be. Fish and dragons swim together there, and you¡¯ll run into all kinds of people. You¡¯re a beautiful girl, and you¡¯ll easily be victimized in a place like this. If you meet a piece of shit who takes advantage of you, you¡¯ll have nowhere to turn. Other people will put the blame on you for having come to a place like this to make money. You won¡¯t be able to convince them no matter how much you explain. Seriously, there are a lot of ways to make money. Listen to this elder brother, you don¡¯t have to work in a place like this.¡±


    He began earnestly persuading Han Yanyan not to work in such a sketchy place.


    In the memories of ¡°Policewoman Han Yanyan¡± during the first round, Xiao Yang had called her ¡°Elder Sister Han¡± and ¡°Elder Sister Yanyan¡± with every opening and closing of his mouth. This time she was younger than him, and here he was starting to call himself ¡°elder brother¡±.


    Han Yanyan nearly broke character and giggled.


    She held back and said ¡®indifferently¡¯, ¡°Gosh, you¡¯re so straight-laced. If I didn¡¯t know you were one of Mr. Yao¡¯s people, I would have thought I was being scolded by the local police.¡±


    Startled, Xiao Yang snapped his mouth closed. Plastering on a smirk, he said, ¡°Oh please, this elder brother only felt a bit bad for you because you were pretty.¡±


    ¡°If you weren¡¯t beautiful, who would care about you? Do you think that Mr. Yao would call me up all of a sudden and have me give you a ride if you weren¡¯t good to look at? Society is all about looks.¡± Then he said in a rather silly, teasing manner, ¡°Say, Mr. Yao is obviously interested in you. What about you? You interested too?¡±


    Han Yanyan kept up her ¡®indifferent¡¯ attitude and said, ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡±


    After sending Han Yanyan back to home, Xiao Yang sent Yao Chen a voice message report in which he summarized her story.


    Afterward, he reported back to Jiang Ye through another number. ¡°Yao Chen had me drive that Han Yanyan home today; that waitress you brought in yesterday. He seemed interested in her and had me check out her situation.¡±


    ¡°And you looked into it?¡± Jiang Ye said.


    ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything the matter with her,¡± Xiao Yang replied. ¡°She¡¯s still a student, she¡¯s working because she¡¯s short of money and there¡¯s a chronically ill patient in her family.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost worse if there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything,¡± Jiang Ye said.


    Xiao Yang hesitated, then asked, ¡°So¡­ what do you think Yao Chen will do with this girl?¡±


    Jiang Ye understood and said grumpily, ¡°That¡¯s none of your business. You can¡¯t stop a girl who wants to be rich. Ah Yang, this is someone else¡¯s choice. You can¡¯t interfere.¡±


    But Han Yanyan was beautiful, innocent, and gentle in speech. Even if she was there for money, she was doing it for her family. Xiao Yang felt like it was unbearable.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much,¡± Jiang Ye said, speechless. ¡°Yao Chen is a scum of a man who¡¯s done a lot of terrible things, but he doesn¡¯t have a record of rape. Cheating at the most.¡±


    ¡°Cheating¡¯s bad enough,¡± Xiao Yang said stubbornly.


    Starting to get a headache, Jiang Ye produced his trump card, ¡°Yang, if you were a girl and I put your current self and Yao Chen in front of you and made you choose one to sleep with, who would you choose?¡±


    Xiao Yang¡¯s self-esteem cracked. ¡°Inspector Jiang, don¡¯t be so cruel to a man!¡±


    ¡°What? Do you think I can change the world? Society is all about looks,¡± Jiang Ye replied leisurely. ¡°In Yao Chen¡¯s early days, he relied on women to escape capture several times. He has a way with the ladies. I¡¯m telling you, if he really likes this girl you won¡¯t need to worry about her. Hold your ground.¡±


    After having quit her Sunday tutoring job, Han Yanyan was now able to have a comfortable weekend off. When she got up in the morning, she habitually checked her phone. It had been on mute while she slept, and there were several missed calls from home. She sneered and tossed the phone aside, not caring in the least.


    She opened her wardrobe, to a depressing closet full of cheap clothes. Be it in her past life or her true self, she had already passed the stage where she wore these sorts of things. She wanted to throw them all away and build her wardrobe back up from scratch, but on second thought she decided to bear with it. Clothing was part of character design, and these outfits were perfectly in line with her diligent college student persona.


    After she took a bath, the phone rang again. It was also from home. This time she answered. It was the great family head, her honorable father, who proceeded to interrogate her about just what she had said to her mother yesterday to make her mother cry and her brother so angry that he had to lie down.


    ¡°Do you not know how sick your brother is? Yet you still dare to annoy him! Do you think his body can take it?!¡± he rebuked her furiously.


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything from you!¡± her father roared. ¡°Do you think I have time to think of you?! I¡¯m exhausted every day, your brother is sick, and your mother is taking care of your brother! You have it easiest out of the whole family! Do you not know what you have to do?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± she answered frankly.


    Her father flew into a rage. ¡°Just buy a gaming laptop for your brother! Why do you keep making up excuses? You¡¯ll have enough money to do it if you just don¡¯t buy so many clothes!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± she said. ¡°I buy all my clothes from wholesale. All my clothes in a year added up wouldn¡¯t be enough for a gaming laptop. Anyhow, I haven¡¯t bought many clothes this year. Everything I¡¯m wearing is from last year, so there wouldn¡¯t be enough even if I saved two years¡¯ worth of clothes.¡±


    ¡°You dare say such a thing!¡± her father choked, before angrily berating her for being unfilial, unkind and disrespectful.


    Han Yanyan hung up and turned off the phone. Soon the landline rang, and she pulled out the cord. The world fell silent.

 Chapter 38.2

    Han Yanyan tidied herself up neatly and went out. Though her wardrobe couldn¡¯t be updated for the time being, she couldn¡¯t skimp on underwear. She went to the mall and bought herself several new sets of underwear, then to an electronics store for a new laptop ¨C not for her brother, of course, but for herself. She had been using the computers in the school lab, and borrowing her boyfriend¡¯s laptop at home, but now that he was gone he had obviously taken his laptop with him for his studies. Since there was no living without a computer, Han Yanyan bought one for herself.


    Then she had an exquisite lunch and spent the afternoon in a cozy little coffee shop.


    This is the life, girl! ¨C if ¡®Student Han Yanyan¡¯ had a soul, Han Yanyan would have liked to tell her that.


    When she went to work that night, her supervisor told her, ¡°You¡¯re in charge of Area 8.¡± Area 8 contained Room 812.


    Han Yanyan couldn¡¯t see much difference. Their areas of responsibility changed with the shift schedule. She had been in charge of Area 8 before.


    Yao Chen appeared that evening, trailed by his brothers. Han Yanyan leaned against the wall to make way for them, and bowed slightly with the tray in her hands. ¡°Mr. Yao.¡± Yao Chen¡¯s footsteps stopped before her.


    Han Yanyan looked up at him with her dark, ink-black eyes. ¡°Thank you for last night, Mr. Yao.¡±


    Yao Chen nodded. Then without even a grunt of acknowledgment, continued on his way.


    One moment caring enough to send a little brother to pick her up, the next moment acting like a passer-by. If this had been some fantasy romance with a despotic tyrant, the woman might surely have lost her heart by now.


    First being cold, then being kind, then switching freely between the two modes, had this man taken pick-up artist lessons or something?


    If she thought about it, it was impossible to rise from a street thug to a mafia boss only on the strength of fighting and killing. Being able to command the hearts of others was a necessary prerequisite. He may not have taken pick-up artist lessons, but he knew naturally how to understand and grasp hearts.


    Holding her tray, Han Yanyan turned back to work.


    No, what the man had done yesterday had already shown his interest in her. Even if he didn¡¯t make a move now, he would move sooner or later. She couldn¡¯t take the initiative in the matter, or it would all fall apart.


    On Monday and Tuesday she took a rest, going nowhere except school. Since ¡°Student Han Yanyan¡± was always busy working and making money, she had no special friends among the other students, though she got along with them for the most part. Han Yanyan had no intention of growing close to any of them.


    A woman in a mission world didn¡¯t need friends.


    Her father called her several times to yell at her. The moment he began raising his voice, Han Yanyan simply hung up. This man was clearly living in modern times, yet his mind was full of feudal ideas. He felt that ¡°Since I gave you life, you should be glad to work like an ox for me for as long as you live. Your brother is the only root of our old X family, and as a sister it¡¯s your duty to spend your life making his as easy as possible.¡±


    Thanks for giving me life, bye. Hang up, block.


    After nearly a week of stalemate, the family finally realized that their daughter had grown up. Her wings had hardened, and she would no longer pay up after a few scolding words. Her father stopped calling and her mother went into battle instead, crying endlessly.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little short of money this month,¡± Han Yanyan told her. ¡°So I won¡¯t be sending any home.¡±


    Hang up, block.


    The world fell silent.


    Perhaps it was because Yao Chen had been busy these last few days, but she hadn¡¯t seen him for almost a week. If he wasn¡¯t there, then neither was undercover Xiao Yang.


    Han Yanyan went to school during the day, worked at night, had no social life, and lived like a hermit.


    Though her base salary wasn¡¯t much, there was a commission for selling drinks and considerable tips. Han Yanyan had done very well with liquor sales this week, and her supervisor praised her. ¡°It¡¯s like you gained enlightenment all of a sudden or something!¡±


    A silly, na?ve student was different from someone who had been out in society for years. Han Yanyan was able to talk the local tyrants into buying a lot of wine, yet also cleverly avoid their grasping hands. These were all things ¡®Student Han Yanyan¡¯ could never have done.


    But if one walks by the roadside, one will sooner or later step into a puddle. Han Yanyan eventually met someone who couldn¡¯t be deflected.


    A chubby Minister Liu took a fancy to her and appeared in Jinhao for three days straight, asking for her by name.


    To escape him, she had switched shifts with a male colleague. Believe it or not, the fat bastard had followed her into the corridor, blocked her way, and when she had fended off his piggish hands, deliberately poured wine on his own suit. He then claimed that the suit cost 20,000 yuan and demanded that she pay for a new one.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have the money, come have a few drinks with me,¡± the fat man offered. ¡°Who knows, maybe I¡¯ll forget all about it.¡±


    Han Yanyan had been listening to her fellow colleagues from the club tell stories. She was well aware that these ¡®few drinks¡¯ were part of a scheme. Who knew what would be added to the wine? After one drank it, you would then lose consciousness, and the other would have his way with you.


    She stared at the fat man. His eyes were puffy, and his footing  unstable. She figured she should be able to take him.


    Yes, she wanted to complete her mission, but not so much that she would go to bed with this greasy middle aged man. Well, if she thought about it, the ¡°frank and honest student angrily beating up a rich lecher¡± character setting wasn¡¯t bad either. Maybe it would surprise Yao Chen. If she really had to pay up, she could look to Yao Chen to borrow money, and if he took the opportunity to blackmail her, she could also seize the chance to tie him down.


    All these potential routes in mind, Han Yanyan clenched her fist. Secretly, she shifted her body, coiling herself up to mow down the fat man the moment he stretched out his lecherous paws toward her.


    Those lecherous paws did indeed reach out. Han Yanyan¡¯s eyes swept downward toward the fat man¡¯s private parts. Her heels lifted, her knees bent, and just as she was about to deliver a blow that would cut off any possibility of grandchildren¨C


    Someone stepped in and stopped the hands reaching out.


    The ¡®Tyrant Saves the Beauty¡¯ soap opera had begun.

 Chapter 39.1

    ¡°Can it be Minister Liu? A rare guest!¡± Yao Chen took that lecherous paw and smilingly greeted the fat man. ¡°I hear you¡¯ve been transferred back and promoted to minister! My hearty congratulations!¡±


    ¡°Oh, no need to congratulate me, Xiao Yao.¡± Fatty Liu looked at the beautiful girl Yao Chen was shielding. ¡°But Xiao Yao, I have to let you know, your waitress is outrageous. Look at what happened to my clothes¡­¡±


    Yao Chen tutted. ¡°This little girl is inexperienced, she must have been nervous to meet such a distinguished guest. Please, let me apologize to you on her behalf. If you¡¯ll leave your suit jacket today, I¡¯ll have someone wash it and send it to you.¡±


    The whole time he had the girl tightly, solidly shielded behind him, obviously meaning to protect her. Though there was a smile on his face and humble words were coming from his mouth, he was known in reality as a ruthless man. Minister Liu humphed, and didn¡¯t cross the line. ¡°Forget it, that would be far too much trouble. If you ask her to merely have a drink with me, I¡¯ll overlook the issue.¡± This gave both him and Yao Chen a way out.


    Yao Chen¡¯s appearance was far too coincidental. Han Yanyan even wondered if he had been watching from the sidelines, only to appear at just the right moment. After all, they were in Area 8. Room 812 was not far away.


    Suspicions aside, it was quite manly of him to protect her. There was a reason why the classic trope of ¡®the hero saving the beauty¡¯ had stood strong over thousands of years of literature, and was still being used to this day. Han Yanyan smiled very slightly.


    She assumed that since he had already protected her once, he would also protect her from this cup of wine. But she had overestimated Yao Chen.


    Instead of deflecting the cup of wine, Yao Chen instead replied with great relish, ¡°One drink isn¡¯t enough. She shall be penalized with three cups.¡±


    Han Yanyan drew in a sharp breath.


    Yao Chen turned. With a stern face, he told her, ¡°Look what you¡¯ve done! Thankfully Minister Liu is a magnanimous man and won¡¯t hold this against you. If you want to continue working here, Han Yanyan, apologize to the minister and drink three drinks with him.¡±


    He particularly stressed ¡°if you want to continue working here¡±. This was¡­ him learning about her situation from Xiao Yang and knowing that she couldn¡¯t lose this job, right?


    Between ¡®a humiliated student¡¯ and ¡®a calm acceptance¡¯, Han Yanyan decided that the first would be too difficult for her current level of acting skill. The latter was her natural response, which would be easier.


    She clasped her hands before her in the most standard posture a waitress could have, and bowed her head to Fatty Liu. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, Minister Liu. I was careless. Please forgive me.¡±


    Fatty Liu hadn¡¯t expected Yao Chen to give him face like this. Feeling much better, he snorted and said, ¡°A small thing. Punish yourself with three drinks, and we¡¯ll put it behind us.¡±


    Han Yan Yan looked up. Before she could speak, Yao Chen had dragged Fatty Liu by the arm into his private room. Pushing the fat man in first, he glanced back at her.


    ¡°Come in.¡± The meaning was clear.


    Han Yanyan briefly rolled her eyes toward the ceiling, then went in.


    It was Ah Sen who had replaced her in the private room. Sitting on the sofa, Yao Chen beckoned to Ah Sen, who bent down to listen. When he heard Yao Chen¡¯s instructions, Ah Sen turned to look at her with complicated eyes. He left quickly.


    Yao Chen and Fatty Liu sat on the sofa, talking with each other and flattering each other. No one glanced at Han Yanyan, as if she had been forgotten.


    Han Yanyan didn¡¯t try to make herself known, either. She took up Ah Sen¡¯s previous position and pretended not to exist.


    It didn¡¯t take long for Ah Sen to return with three glasses of liquor on a tray. When Han Yan saw them, she cursed inwardly. What did Yao Chen want?


    This was a special liquor whose contents were so strong that even men quickly lost themselves, let alone young girls like Han Yanyan. Her new body had little resistance to secondhand smoke, and even less to alcohol.


    ¡°Yanyan, come here.¡± Cigarette hanging from his mouth, Yao Chen smiled, looking amused. ¡°This is for you. Minister Liu is a broad-minded man ¨C apologize to him with these three drinks, and the matter will be over. ¡±


    Minister Liu and all the other men in the private room were obviously aware of what sort of liquor this was. They looked on, entertained, as if watching a good show. Ah Sen and the two familiar escorts looked worried.


    ¡°Yanyan,¡± spoke Minister Liu, calling her by the name written on her badge. He waved his paw. ¡°Go on, drink this and we¡¯ll be even!¡±


    When the three glasses took effect, she would surely be done for.


    Han Yanyan lifted her eyes to Yao Chen. She wasn¡¯t angry, she just didn¡¯t understand.


    Fatty Liu had his eyes on her, and intended to get his hands on her. It was obvious that he hadn¡¯t intended to give in until he got what he wanted. By stopping him, Yao Chen had admitted that Han Yanyan was under his protection. No one had said anything about it, but all knew that the most important outcome of this ¡®matter¡¯ was that Fatty Liu could no longer touch her in the future.


    Just like male beasts had their own territories, now that she was under one¡¯s protection other male beasts could not cross the boundary without great difficulty.


    Compared to that, it was peanuts for him to deflect a simple glass of wine. But Yao Chen hadn¡¯t. Instead, as if afraid that it wasn¡¯t enough, he had upgraded it to liquor. He had been willing to take her under his wing, yet now he was embarrassing her here. What did he want?


    Han Yan lifted her eyes to see Yao Chen holding that cigarette in his mouth, his eyes full of malice¨C


    Stubborn girls and fierce women had to have their spines broken, had to be crushed underfoot. Only then would they know how to be obedient and docile, how to crawl at his feet.


    Han Yanyan had a sudden realization.


    So as it turned out, he was waiting for her to surrender!


    A few days ago, she had refused his offer to be an escort or mistress. Was that when he had begun training her? Tempering justice with mercy, a two-pronged approach with a carrot in one hand and a stick in the other.


    Now, if she was willing to cry and beg him, he would surely deflect these three drinks for her in a very manly manner. And from then on she would be psychologically in his debt, subconsciously submitting to him!


    This man didn¡¯t need pick-up artist lessons, he was a born master! Did this world even have pick-up artists? If it didn¡¯t, she feared he would be the founder!


    After three drinks, she would be unconscious. Then what?


    Han Yanyan glanced at Fatty Liu, who looked as though he was thoroughly enjoying the show. Yao Chen was right here. Men always cared deeply about the meat they hadn¡¯t eaten yet. They wouldn¡¯t give it up easily to other men before they had the first bite themselves.


    Very well then. Let¡¯s gamble.

 Chapter 39.2

    Calmly, Han Yanyan stepped forward and raised the first glass. ¡°Minister Liu, I humbly apologize to you. You are a broad-minded man, and I hope you¡¯ll take it easy on me.¡±


    When she picked up the cup, Yao Chen frowned. She didn¡¯t look at him, but tilted her head and drank the entire glass. She felt fire run down her throat, enter her belly, and rise up to her brain.


    Come, let¡¯s gamble!


    Her hand shaking a little, Han Yanyan raised the second glass and gulped it down as well. This time, she had to cover her mouth so as to not throw it back up.


    She had written about men and women for a very long time! She knew all the little tricks and routines!


    Her eyes were starting to see double. Her body shaking, she barely lifted the third glass.


    She was betting that she would wake up in Yao Chen¡¯s bed tomorrow morning, whether she be fully dressed or naked!


    Han Yanyan lost consciousness and fell in the direction of Fatty Liu. Grinning broadly, Fatty Liu opened his arms to catch her.


    Yao Chen had risen as early as when she had begun swaying unsteadily on her feet. Reaching out deftly, he caught her in his embrace, allowing Fatty Liu to catch empty air. Fatty Liu, his two ham-like paws outstretched, was too embarrassed to simply retract them. Instead he attempted to change the action to rubbing his hands on his thighs.


    ¡°She¡¯s young and has no alcohol tolerance. I hope you¡¯ll understand.¡± Hefting Han Yanyan, Yao Chen told Minister Liu, ¡°Please take your time drinking while I settle her down.¡±


    Minister Liu watched Yao Chen leave carrying that beautiful girl, and clucked his tongue. ¡°How convenient for him.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t getting women drunk just so men could do whatever they wanted with them? That boy Yao Chen was now off to have sex worth a thousand dollars!


    Tch!


    Minister Liu had wronged Yao Chen. It couldn¡¯t be helped. There was a vast difference in looks between the two.


    In his younger years, Yao Chen had been a handsome, cruel, sharp-toothed young wolf. From girls of sixteen to ripe women of forty, there was no woman he couldn¡¯t have. He was picky about them.


    It had always been women who begged him for sex. Yao Chen had committed a lot of sins in his life, but he had never forced himself on a woman or roofied one, simply because¡­ the opportunity had never come by.


    Han Yanyan was completely unconscious, dead weight in Yao Chen¡¯s arms as he carried her out of the room. Feeling like his current hold was rather inconvenient, Yao Chen bent down, grabbed her legs, and hefted her up in a bridal carry.


    The supervisor greeted him outside. Looking at Han Yanyan in Yao Chen¡¯s arms, he said nervously, ¡°Mr. Yao¡­¡±


    ¡°None of your business,¡± Yao Chen said. ¡°Have someone unlock the upstairs suite for me.¡±


    The supervisor shrank back into himself and watched as Yao Chen carried Han Yanyan into the elevator.


    When the elevator arrived, Yao Chen carried her into the room. He bent down, placed her on the bed, and followed. Bracing himself over her, he looked down at Han Yanyan.


    She normally looked mild-mannered, studious and meek, but at the moment she was lying on the bed, her cheeks tinged with an abnormal flush, a beauty that made a man rather want to commit a crime.


    He remembered the look she had given him before picking up a glass, those dark eyes, that seeming enlightenment within the calm gaze. He didn¡¯t know if he was mistaken, but he fancied that there had been a trace of mockery in those eyes.


    Mistaken or not, when he thought about that moment, Yao Chen felt himself getting hard.


    He had always thought she was beautiful, but until that moment, he had never thought her to be truly attractive.


    Holding her by the chin, Yao Chen tilted her face toward him, examining it. He had often taken advantage of a man¡¯s weaknesses, but he hadn¡¯t yet done anything to take advantage of a woman¡¯s. But he felt it wasn¡¯t impossible to set a precedent.


    That was how low his moral bottom line was.


    All of a sudden, Han Yanyan opened her eyes.


    Her ink-dark eyes were covered with a misty, gleaming layer of tears. In a daze, she looked at Yao Chen and said, ¡°¡­ Ding Yao?¡±


    Then she reached out to grab him by the throat!


    The next day Han Yanyan woke up with a splitting headache. She groaned and turned to find a hot, strong body behind her.


    Instantly, her memory returned. The events of the previous night came vividly to mind. Holding her head, she opened his eyes to see her bare arms. She could feel the sheets against her bare skin, and her body was covered in hickeys.


    What was this? Had she lost the bet?

 Chapter 40.1

    Han Yanyan turned over to get a look at the man lying behind her, and woke him. He gave her a kick underneath the quilt. ¡°Wake up and go shower. You stank all night.¡±


    It was Yao Chen.


    Her hangover hadn¡¯t gone away quite so easily. Han Yanyan¡¯s body felt weak. As she propped herself up to a sitting position with some effort, she caught sight of Yao Chen beside her. The man had just been woken. His brow was creased, and he let out a sleepy groan, quite unlike the usual Mr. Yao or Boss Yao, who hid a dagger behind his smile.


    Han Yanyan ducked her head and lifted up the quilt to check her body, only to be overwhelmed by the foul fumes of alcohol rising up in waves. She almost threw up again.


    Yao Chen finally opened his eyes. Inclining his head to one side, he caught sight of her slender shoulders and her waist slim enough to make a man hard as stone.


    Last night, this woman had been drunk and hazy, whispering ¡°no¡± while her limp hand lightly brushed his Adam¡¯s apple; looking for all the world like a forlorn and lonely fairy, but actually a nymph in fairy skin, who could make a man die in her arms!


    As those nimble, naughty fingers had seduced him, Yao Chen swallowed, and then he saw her eyes shoot open. Knowing that it wasn¡¯t going to be good, he had gotten up, pulled Han Yanyan to her feet, and carried her to the bathroom. One step away from the door, that unruly, seductive nymph had thrown up all over them both.


    Boss Yao could only admit his bad luck and clean up after her.


    Now he cocked his head. Seeing her back, he remembered what a good time he had had the night before. Reaching out, he caressed her waist.


    Han Yanyan quickly turned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like you¡¯re seeking revenge for the death of your father.¡± Yao Chen sat up. The bedding slipped down ¨C he had a firm chest and cut abs.


    Lighting a cigarette, he took a drag as if the two of them had just had sex and he was having an afterglow cigarette.


    ¡°Go on, go take a shower. Don¡¯t worry ¨C your chastity is still perfectly intact.¡± He laughed viciously. ¡°I didn¡¯t have sex with you.¡±


    She really didn¡¯t feel anything different about her body. Furthermore, her underwear was still on.


    Han Yanyan didn¡¯t know whether it was a win or a loss. What she had bet on was that a certain sort of self-proclaimed ¡®charming¡¯ men wanted both a woman¡¯s body and her heart. Here you were, thinking that you would surely be raped, yet when you wake you find that the man didn¡¯t touch you. You felt a sense of relief, gratitude and trust. But for the man, it was merely the difference between going to bed with you now or going to bed with you later.


    The real game was to move your heart.


    But Han Yanyan felt like perhaps she was thinking a little too highly of Yao Chen. He probably hadn¡¯t slept with her last night because¡­


    ¡°Hurry up and go wash. I¡¯m about to suffocate,¡± he told her in disgust.


    As soon as he said so, she felt like throwing up again.


    There was a used bath towel in a heap on the stool at the end of the bed. All Han Yanyan was capable of doing was snag it, wrap it around herself, and stumble into the bathroom. There she vomited for a long time before feeling a little better. After taking a bath and blow-drying her hair, she found her clothes and bra where Yao Chen had thrown them into the trash, stinking horribly. But there was a bathrobe in the bathroom, and she came out wrapped in it.


    Yao Chen was sitting at the head of the bed making a phone call. When she came out, he signaled to her, telling her not to say anything. Han Yanyan stopped in her tracks and stood there, watching him.


    The phone call was quickly over. Yao Chen hung up and told her, ¡°Come here.¡±


    Going forward meant obedience, going backward meant fear. She didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Thank you for helping me out of a fix, sir. Last night was an accident. I¡¯m grateful that nothing happened. I¡­ ah!¡±


    Before she could finish her routine lines, Yao Chen lifted the quilt and stood up, then dragged her into his arms, sitting them both back on the bed.


    Instinctively, Han Yanyan struggled, but with his arms pinning her, she couldn¡¯t move at all. As she was about to speak, he nibbled on her ear from behind. ¡°Come now, don¡¯t pretend.¡±


    She paused and turned to look at him.


    The tip of Yao Chen¡¯s nose was nearly touching hers. A faint smile quirked the corner of his mouth. ¡°You know exactly what sort of person you are, so don¡¯t pretend in front of me.¡± Last night when they had contested against each other, only the two of them understood and knew the feeling.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s heart thudded in slight alarm, but she said, looking normal, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You look serious on the outside,¡± he sneered, ¡°But deep inside, you¡¯re quite a naughty little girl.¡±


    She breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Did you and your boyfriend split up?¡±


    Han Yanyan suddenly lifted her eyes to his.


    Yao Chen threw the phone on the bedside table onto her lap. ¡°Idiot. All your cute loving little photos were deleted. Did you break up?¡±


    After Xiao Xu had left, Han Yanyan had deleted all of ¡®Han Yanyan¡¯s¡¯ photo albums so that there would no longer be any traces of her in this life. Yao Chen had shamelessly browsed through her photos again.


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business, sir,¡± she answered.


    She attempted to break away, but Yao Chen¡¯s arm around her waist was like iron.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move. If you make me get all excited you¡¯ll only have yourself to blame.¡± He blew smoke in her face.


    She choked and coughed on the smoke, but she could indeed feel him hardening under her, so she stopped moving.


    One arm holding her fast, Yao Chen flicked the ash off his cigarette. ¡°My previous offer is still valid. I¡¯ll make it to you again ¨C follow me, and you¡¯ll never again worry about money. The treatment fees for your brother are problems easily solved. This time you no longer have a boyfriend. Think about it. ¡±


    Having said these ruffian-like words, he put out the cigarette, reached in under the hem of her bathrobe and groped upwards.

 Chapter 40.2

    Han Yanyan caught Yao Chen¡¯s groping hand, looked up at him and asked, ¡°Mr. Yao, do you want to hear the truth?¡±


    Yao Chen raised an eyebrow. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯m currently in financial difficulty, and that the main reason is due to my brother¡¯s medical fees. But more importantly, it¡¯s also because I¡¯m still a student. I have no full-time job nor source of fixed income. I may be working for you right now, but me working for one of your businesses is a coincidence. Yes, I¡¯m earning good money there, but when I graduate with a decent education, I¡¯ll have a decent job, a decent life, and a decent boyfriend.¡± Han Yanyan used four ¡®decents¡¯ in a row to get the point across. ¡°I take my future seriously1 and I have every step planned. I can¡¯t accept a courtship that isn¡¯t heading toward marriage, let alone a relationship of casual sex.¡±


    Yao Chen stuck his tongue into his cheek. He felt like he had a toothache.


    ¡°To hear you say so, am I not decent?¡± he asked.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s eyes were deep and unfathomable.


    ¡°You, sir? You¡¯re ¡®Boss Yao¡¯,¡± she stated calmly. ¡°I may not have been at Jinhao for a long time, but I¡¯ve heard a lot about your deeds. Mr. Yao, you and I don¡¯t live in the same world. The life you¡¯re thinking of giving me and the life I want are completely opposed to each other. I just want to live a simple life, so won¡¯t you please let me go?¡±


    Their eyes met. Yao Chen clenched his teeth and loosened his arm.


    Han Yanyan stood up, tidied her loose bathrobe and asked, ¡°Where are we?¡±


    ¡°Jinhao, the fifth floor,¡± Yao Chen answered lazily.


    ¡°Do you have any clothes here?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said wickedly.


    Han Yanyan: ¡°¡­¡±


    She tamped down what she actually wanted to say, and instead said, ¡°Thank you, then I¡¯ll be going.¡± She bent down and picked up the key to her locker.


    ¡°Why go anywhere?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a student,¡± Han Yanyan said, dumbfounded. ¡°I have to go to school.¡±


    ¡°Ahh,¡± said Yao Chen, as if suddenly enlightened.


    Having found out that she was still at Jinhao, Han Yanyan left in her bathrobe. After she was gone, Yao Chen lit another cigarette, took a deep breath, spat white smoke at the ceiling, and sneered, ¡°A decent and respectable family.¡±


    It was still morning. Jinhao was closed, but there were a few people still on duty inside. Han Yanyan ignored their strange looks, went to the staff locker room, and changed back into her own clothes. She didn¡¯t care about feeling any shame.


    What was the big deal about shame? In these worlds, even loving or hating was meaningless, let alone embarrassment.


    Before she could leave Jinhao¡¯s parking lot, a sports car drifted over to prevent her. The car nearly brushed her skirt as it stopped. If the driver¡¯s hand had slipped, she could have been sent flying.


    The window rolled down. Yao Chen lifted his chin in a nod and ordered, ¡°Get in.¡±


    She didn¡¯t move. He raised an eyebrow. Han Yanyan gave up resisting and opened the car door to get into the passenger side.


    ¡°What else can I do for you, sir?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m sending you to school,¡± Yao Chen replied. ¡°University S, isn¡¯t it? Fasten your seat belt.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to se¡­..¡± Before she could finish her sentence, the car engine roared. It shot out of the parking lot like an arrow, forcing her to fasten her seat belt.


    ¡°If you really want to live a decent life, don¡¯t hang out in Jinhao.¡± Yao Chen told her on the way. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of girls like you, wanting to earn a few tips through your beauty. In the end, they find that the money they earn even after working hard for a month can¡¯t be compared to spreading your legs as an escort for a night. Every day you watch other people have fun getting drunk, you meet a few local influentials or rich second generations who court you, and your mind becomes hazy. In the end, when they¡¯ve had their fun and dump you, you¡¯ll be another familiar face among the escorts in less than a year. All of them vowed at the beginning that they would get out of the mud without being stained2.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to fire me, sir?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you that you should change your job.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still a student. All I can work are part-time jobs, and this is the most well-paying one I can find,¡± Han Yanyan replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sir. My mind is clear.¡±


    ¡°Being clear-headed is exactly what I like about you.¡± Yao Chen¡¯s mouth quirked in a smile. ¡°I have another job for you, if you want it.¡±


    ¡°¡­What is it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Being my girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m being serious. Don¡¯t you want a serious, decent courtship? I¡¯ll give you a name and a title3,¡± Yao Chen said solemnly.


    University S wasn¡¯t far away. As they spoke, one could see the tall library building in the distance. Han Yanyan rubbed her temples and told him, ¡°Please drop me off at the north gate.¡±


    The car came to a halt at the north gate, and she opened the door to get out. ¡°What time does class end in the evening?¡± Yao Chen called.


    ¡°What are you thinking of doing, sir?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Chasing you, of course,¡± he laughed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to be courted? I¡¯ll give you a ride to work. ¡±


    Han Yanyan was left speechless. ¡°Will you stop making fun of me?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not.¡±


    She could only tell him, ¡°I take the bus to work after school. You won¡¯t find me here if you come.¡±


    Yao Chen said with a smile, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on that.¡± When he was done speaking, he stepped on the accelerator and roared off.


    Watching the sports car recede into the distance, the corners of Han Yanyan¡¯s lips turned up in a smile.


    Not bad progress at all for one day. All her refusals to him were playing hard to get, retreating in order to advance. He fancied himself a master of romance, and she had given him a well-bred, respectable girl from a decent family. Yao Chen had obviously taken the bait.


    During class Han Yanyan was still pondering the matter. When Yao Chen came to pick her up that night, how could she control the situation and make more progress? But she had forgotten that Yao Chen was a thug, one who didn¡¯t go by the regular routines of ordinary bullies.


    After school, she received a text from him saying, ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the North Gate.¡±


    Along with the message was attached a nude photo of herself.


    The mission goal of this world was complete scum. It made Han Yanyan extremely happy.

 Chapter 41.1

    Since she had been ¡®coerced¡¯, Han Yanyan got into Yao Chen¡¯s car looking sullen.


    The corners of Yao Chen¡¯s mouth quirked up. He handed over his phone. ¡°They¡¯re all in there. Delete them yourself.¡±


    Han Yanyan opened his photos. My, there were quite a few photos, about thirty or forty. There was in fact no true nudity in any of them ¨C they were all taken from the back, or with Yao Chen¡¯s arms blocking out her breasts as he held her, but anyone looking at them would know that she was nude. Yao Chen certainly had a good time last night.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, no one else saw any of them. I¡¯m just teasing you.¡± Yao Chen tamped down his laughter by pushing the tip of his tongue against his cheek.


    Han Yanyan gave him a sidelong glance.


    An older man, handsome, well-built, rich and powerful. Occasionally stubborn and unyielding, and occasionally domineering yet gentle. If he were written into a romance novel, he would have made a fantastic male lead. At the end, he would surely quit the underworld and live happily ever after with the protagonist.


    But in reality¡­ If Han Yanyan was truly ¡®Student Han Yanyan¡¯, these photos might have been the death of her.


    She turned to look out the front. ¡°Mr. Yao, what¡¯s your goal?¡±


    Guiding the car smoothly and steadily, Yao Chen answered, ¡°I¡¯m courting you.¡±


    ¡°This is the first time,¡± Han Yanyan said self-deprecatingly, ¡°That someone has ever courted me with my own nude photos.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Yao Chen asked. ¡°Well then, how have you been courted in the past? Tell me about it. ¡±


    ¡°There was no need for the courting,¡± she replied. ¡°Two people who like each other will naturally come together.¡±


    ¡®Han Yanyan¡¯ and Xiao Xu had been like that, in their natural, pedestrian bliss. That was what life and love should be like.


    Yao Chen made a scoffing sound.


    He drove her to Jinhao, but before she could alight, he grabbed her by the hand. ¡°I¡¯ll be a bit busy these next few days and might not be around. I¡¯ve asked Old Lin to take care of you. If you ever have any concerns, just let him know. You have me.¡±


    Speak of the devil. Here was that domineering gentleness, just it had occurred to her.


    Han Yanyan blinked, but could only say, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Yao Chen switched to a limousine at Jinhao. It was Xiao Yang who parked his sports car for him, and when he came back from parking it, he spotted Han Yanyan still standing on the steps, watched Yao Chen¡¯s car drive off into the distance.


    ¡°Yanyan, you¡­¡± He asked her hesitantly, ¡°Are you and Mr. Yao together?¡±


    Not wanting to have further contact with him, Han Yanyan threw the sentence ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense¡± at him, then turned and went in.


    ¡®Nonsense¡¯?! She got off that guy¡¯s sports car! Gossip was that she came down from the fifth floor in a bathrobe during the day, and Yao Chen had a suite on the fifth floor! Ahhhhh, hadn¡¯t she said before that she ¡®wasn¡¯t interested¡¯ in Yao Chen? Beautiful girls were liars!


    A few days passed without Han Yanyan and Yao Chen crossing paths. Her life was very peaceful without him.


    But then the dean of her department gave her a call. ¡°Your parents called the school, saying that you¡¯ve blocked them all and accusing you of being unfilial. They hope that the school will be able to control you. What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Han Yanyan smiled sadly. ¡°I¡¯m current working several jobs. I pay for my own tuition, my living expenses and my brother¡¯s dialysis treatment. My brother has been wanting a gaming laptop, and they¡¯re trying to force me to pay for it. I can¡¯t, so they¡¯ve been accusing me of being unfilial. I had to block them, there was no other way.¡±


    The dean¡¯s face turned black with anger. He had eyes enough to see that the clothes Han Yanyan wore were cheap and low-quality. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for students nowadays to cam online to buy themselves branded bags. med can shoot masturbation videos to buy a brand-name bag. Han Yanyan working to put herself through school was more reminiscent of someone who lived a century ago.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he assured her. ¡°Just study hard, and if they dare call the school again, I¡¯ll stand up for you.¡± Then he added, ¡°I see you haven¡¯t applied for a scholarship. Would you like me to put in an application for you?¡±


    Han Yanyan shook her head. ¡°My family isn¡¯t actually badly off. It¡¯s my brother¡¯s illness that is dragging us down. So long as they don¡¯t squander the money, what I send home is more than enough for the basics. Leave the scholarship programs to the students who truly need it.¡±


    Her dean was so moved that he made an entire motivational speech to encourage her before letting her leave.


    When she got out of the teaching building, Han Yanyan took out her phone, unblocked her home number and dialed it.


    ¡°Use your head! Did you think that if you did this, I¡¯d pay up quickly? No, save it! I¡¯ll tell you right here and now, there will be no money going home this month!¡±


    When she was done, she hung up and blocked the number again.


    Just wait. When they found out that she really wouldn¡¯t send anything home, they would give in. Spending her money left and right, yet shitting on her head. Did they have no principles?!


    Right after school she got a text from Yao Chen. It was succinct. ¡°North Gate.¡±


    When she got on, he told her, ¡°You won¡¯t need to go to Jinhao tomorrow. I¡¯m in need of a female companion for a cocktail reception, and you¡¯ll be coming along with me. Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯ll have Old Lin clock you in as overtime and you¡¯ll be paid accordingly.¡±


    ¡°By the way, have you ever¡­¡± He glanced at the cheap clothes she was wearing and corrected himself. ¡°Never mind, definitely not. Let¡¯s go and buy you some clothes.¡±


    6

 Chapter 41.2

    Yao Chen took Han Yanyan to a shopping mall full of expensive, branded stores.


    Selecting a store, he bought her a little reception gown and matching shoes. When she emerged from the dressing room, he looked surprised.


    ¡°Sure enough, clothes make the woman,¡± he tutted.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to buy a coat, too. Mine is a two-hundred yuan down jacket, you¡¯ll only be embarrassed if I show up wearing it,¡± she said lightly and casually.


    Yao Chen¡¯s eyes were full of smiles. ¡°I enjoy your honesty.¡±


    What Mr. Yao had was money, and he wasn¡¯t afraid to spend it on women. If he didn¡¯t, what would be the point of earning it by licking blood off a knife? He swept out the shop, not only purchasing a nice outfit for the next evening¡¯s reception, but also a large pile for everyday attire for Han Yanyan.


    ¡°Throw away what you no longer need. You¡¯ll have plenty of new clothes to wear in the future,¡± he told her.


    While she was trying on the new things, he had the clerk quietly throw out the ones she was currently wearing, forcing her to wear the new clothes, shoes, and coat out of the store.


    Next to them, her torn old purse stood out. Once again, Yao Chen high-handedly threw it out, buying her two new ones.


    First the gently domineering act, then an offensive of cash.


    Han Yanyan accepted it all with a cold face, but inside she was blissfully happy. She felt like the stereotypical rich, mean girl.


    They ended by having dinner together, much as if they were on a date.


    When the evening ended and he sent Han Yanyan home to her apartment lobby, Yao Chen asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to invite me in?¡±


    ¡°My boyfriend rented this place,¡± she replied. ¡°He certainly wouldn¡¯t like me inviting other men in.¡±


    ¡°Oho,¡± Yao Chen asked. ¡°And where he he?¡±


    ¡°Studying abroad.¡± Her face was expressionless.


    Yao Chen¡¯s smile looked especially happy.


    Han Yanyan stretched out her hand to punch in the door code. He dragged her back into the car by the arm, pressed her down on the seat and coaxed, ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t be upset. He left you behind, and it¡¯s his loss. You should cherish the present.¡±


    The car was small and the two of them were too close. Deliberately, Han Yanyan allowed her breath to quicken.


    Yao Chen noticed and laughed mockingly, feeling very satisfied with his pheromones. He went in to kiss her, but Han Yanyan tilted her head to the side so that he only managed to kiss her ear. Unsatisfied, he bit it.


    Her whole body quivered. She shoved him away, opened the door, and ran upstairs.


    Watching her disappear, Yao Chen stroked the steering wheel, satisfied with the progress bar.


    When Han Yanyan got home, she let her bags fall where they sat, threw herself onto the sofa, and leaned her head back, satisfied with the progress bar.


    It was time to let Yao Chen slowly ¡®conquer¡¯, she thought. It¡¯s just that the way he bit her ear¡­ was very familiar.


    But if Yao Chen was truly Ding Yao, then¡­ Chengyu1, where are you?


    She rubbed her face hard.


    The next evening, Yao Chen picked her up in his limousine. Even though he had seen her before in that little cocktail gown, with her hair and makeup done Han Yanyan seemed like another person altogether.


    Though she was clearly the beautiful daughter of a poor family, to look at her one would think that she was born wealthy and distinguished.


    Yao Chen was quite astounded.


    The cocktail party was a serious, proper business reception, and all its participants were serious, proper business people. Han Yanyan, locked in the shell of ¡®college student¡¯ for the last month, breathed in the familiar air and felt like she had come back to life.


    Holding a wine glass and sipping slowly, she thought to herself that the mere face that Yao Chen would come to such an occasion was enough to show that he wished to wash his hands clean.


    This was good. She smiled.


    As Yao Chen spoke with the other attendees, he kept an occasional eye on her. Whenever anyone struck up a conversation with her, she conversed and laughed very appropriately with them, seemingly completely at ease.


    Just yesterday he had been worried about whether she would make a fool of oneself. Someone who had never attended such an occasion was particularly liable to seem like a frog in a well. But now she seemed like a fish in water, like a powerful young woman born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Who would have thought that every article of clothing she had worn yesterday lumped together would not have exceeded 500 yuan?


    Yao Chen felt confused. Was this thanks to higher education? But no, nearly everyone here had attended university. It was people like him who hadn¡¯t even finished high school who were the exception. Yet none of those people were as eye-catching as her.


    He smoked a cigarette, quietly observing her for a while. When she turned down someone trying to start a conversation, he walked over.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t bad.¡± He said, handing her a glass of wine.


    She took it. ¡°Are you not busy?¡±


    ¡°Feeling done with chit-chatting,¡± he replied, loosening his tie a little.


    Han Yanyan put her glass down and tidied it up for him. ¡°Just a little longer. The night isn¡¯t quite over yet. If you don¡¯t comply with etiquette, the others will feel slighted.¡±


    Yao Chen let her take care of him. ¡°You seem to know a lot.¡±


    ¡°Just basic business etiquette. I¡¯ve attended lectures about it at school.¡± Han Yanyan said.


    She drank a couple more glasses on purpose that night. After having fought Yao Chen for so long, it was time for them to have a ¡®heart to heart¡¯. Alcohol was the best intermediary.


    This body really couldn¡¯t handle alcohol. She was so light-headed on the way back that she fell asleep without meaning to.


    She woke to being kissed by Yao Chen in the back seat.


    When he was in a suit and tie, he was still a man. But now with his tie thrown on the seat and several buttons undone, his humanity was slipping away and there was only the wolf.


    Biting him, she tried to push him away. But this body she was in now was far weaker than the apocalyptic world¡¯s strengthened ¡®Han Yanyan¡¯, and weaker too than ¡®Eldest Miss Han¡¯ who had taken fighting lessons from a coach at the gym every day. Still tipsy, the hands she was trying to push him with were instead soft and supple.


    The bite left Yao Chen with blood on his lips. He wiped his mouth and held her wrists down, kissing her ruthlessly and relentlessly, his tongue and hands wandering.


    Han Yanyan tonight had shone as brilliantly and radiantly as any star. On top of that, she was a woman from a good family, and the feeling was just right.


    The blood was rushing from Yao Chen¡¯s brain. He burned with lust.

 Chapter 42.1

    Han Yanyan seized the opportunity, took advantage of being drunk, and wailed, ¡°Scoundrel! Bully! Why are you all so cruel to me?!¡±


    A woman screaming, struggling or weeping was sometimes still a turn-on for a man. Only wailing like this was a huge turn-off. Yao Chen¡¯s lust ebbed immediately once she began howling.


    ¡°Enough, don¡¯t cry!¡± He let her go, annoyed and exasperated.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s shoes had fallen off. She curled up on the seat in a fetal position, crying and sobbing. It was an enormous contrast to her usual calm, indifferent appearance. It seemed to be the sort of truthful drunken outcry that peeled back the shell of her usual strength, revealing the fragility beneath.


    Yao Chen didn¡¯t try to make her feel better. Instead, he sat unsympathetically across from her, shirt still open, lit a cigarette and watched her cry. When he had finished half the cigarette, Han Yanyan¡¯s cries began to halt. She buried her face in her knee and wept gently.


    These were the sort of tears that made others feel pity.


    Yao Chen pulled out a tissue and threw it at her. ¡°Wipe your tears.¡±


    Hanging her head, Han Yanyan wiped her eyes before looking up. Her eyes were red and her lips slightly puffy, but she seemed to have calmed down and her gaze has returned to normal. It seemed as though she was a completely different person from the one who had just broken down.


    Feeling amused, Yao Chen flicked his cigarette and asked, ¡°So who bullied you?¡± This emotional breakdown obviously wasn¡¯t from his forceful approach just now, but the breaking of a dam that had been building up for a long time.


    ¡°You,¡± Han Yanyan replied coldly.


    Yao Chen looked her up and down, and didn¡¯t feel like what he had done was bullying at all. He smiled, ¡°Who else?¡±


    Pressing her lips together, Han Yanyan answered, still cold, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    Yao Chen stared at her for a while, then put out his cigarette, pulled her into his arms, and clamped her jaw with his hand. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I wanted you to be my girlfriend? Everything about you is my business. Tell me who¡¯s so bold as to bully you, and if anything like that happens again in the future, just let me know and I¡¯ll fix it for you.¡±


    She glared at him. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re omnipotent? That you can solve everything? This is about my own family, you can¡¯t do anything about it!¡±


    Yao Chen raised an eyebrow. ¡°Family?¡±


    ¡°My own father and mother!¡± Han Yanyan spat. ¡°The ones who gave birth to me! How could you possibly solve it? If you could fix this for me, Yao Chen, if you could figure it out, I¡¯ll have nothing more to say. I¡¯ll follow you obediently wherever you go!¡±


    Yao Chen raised his eyebrows and asked, interested, ¡°What happened with your parents? Tell me all about it.¡±


    Han Yanyan lowered her eyes and confessed to him all the shit that happened in her home.


    Prices at Jinhao were high, and waitresses earned a lot. Even if she was paying for her younger brother¡¯s treatment, she should still have had money, yet she was still dressed in bargain-bin clothes. Yao Chen had thought it a little strange for a while, and now he understood. How unlucky to have been born to such parents.


    ¡°Blood ties aren¡¯t as important as you might think,¡± he sneered. ¡°Just cut them off, and you¡¯ll find that they were never worth your effort.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say¡­¡± Han Yanyan replied as if in pain.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. If you can¡¯t cut them off yourself, I¡¯ll do it for you.¡±


    Her eyes widened. ¡°You¡­¡±


    Leisurely, Yao Chen lifted the shirt collar and bra strap that he had just torn off her shoulder back into place. Then patting her on the face, he said, ¡°Give me three months. Just remember to keep your word. ¡±


    Han Yanyan looked into his eyes, making sure that he wasn¡¯t joking. She was silent for a moment, then looked up and agreed. ¡°Alright. But until then, don¡¯t bother me again.¡±


    He smiled, readily agreeing, ¡°Of course.¡±


    Yao Chen was as good as his word. He really did stop chasing her, only occasionally picking her up from school and taking her to work, or sending her back home afterward.


    Since they hadn¡¯t made their relationship public, none of her coworkers at Jinhao knew about it. Han Yanyan¡¯s supervisor put her in charge of the eighth section, and when he met Yao Chen in the hallways, she lowered her head, greeted him with ¡°Mr. Yao¡±, and turned sideways to make way.


    When she sent him wine in his private room, Yao Chen would take a long pull on his cigarette, put his arms around Sakura or Emily, and watch her with a smile. Han Yanyan pretended to be invisible. When she poured him wine, and he reached out a groping hand, she always ducked away just in time, so as not to allow him a touch.


    She renewed her monthly rent with the ¡°extra¡± 20,000 yuan Yao Chen had given her earlier, and continued living in her little rented apartment. That month, she sent nothing home. When her parents called the landline to scold her, she pulled out the telephone line. A little later they attempted calling her cell phone with a different number before finally giving in.


    The one who pays calls the shots. Only steamed buns gave money, sweat, and blood while still allowing themselves to be a trampled doormat.


    Han Yanyan was far from being a steamed bun. In this world she had no attachments nor scruples.


    When they called, she threatened her parents, finally agreeing to watch how they behaved before determining whether or not she would continue paying for her brother¡¯s treatment the next month. But she didn¡¯t see any sign of action from Yao Chen from her parents¡¯ reaction. Still, he had told her three months. Only a month had passed so far. She wasn¡¯t in a hurry.


    She wondered what would happen when thugs dealt with thugs?


    In the months that followed, Yao Chen¡¯s pursuit of her had finally turned into a normal man pursuing a woman. They would occasionally go out on dates, eating and shopping. She limited physical contact to kissing. When Yao Chen tried to push, she would remind him of his own promise.


    Yao Chen would grind his teeth, pinch her slender waist, and say through gritted teeth, ¡°Just wait, you little nymph!¡±


    The new year passed in a blink of an eye, and the school was on holiday. The students were all going home to prepare for Spring Festival. Han Yanyan hadn¡¯t been home for Spring Festival in two years. Instead of a New Year family reunion, her parents preferred her to stay, work in K City, and make more money. Han Yanyan didn¡¯t plan to go back this year, either. She stayed in her apartment and only ever went out at night to work at Jinhao.


    Yao Chen found her reclusive, unsociable life strange. ¡°What do you do during the day?¡±


    ¡°Read,¡± she replied. ¡°I used to do tutoring, so I was always too busy. It¡¯s really nice to be able to study in peace and quiet.¡±


    For the first time, Yao Chen, who had dropped out of high school, found himself at a loss for words.


    The three-month deadline was coming up soon. It was time for him to give her an answer.

 Chapter 42.2

    Yao Chen called her up in advance before picking her up that evening and told her, ¡°Wear something pretty. Especially your underwear.¡± There was a lazy tone in his voice, as if he was saying to the lamb on his plate; ¡®Lie down. I¡¯m ready to eat.¡¯


    Han Yanyan understood that this meant a result had been achieved, and dolled herself up beautifully before going downstairs. There were no longer any cheap clothes in her wardrobe ¨C from underwear to coats to shoes to bags, Yao Chen had bought her everything.


    ¡®Clothes make the woman¡¯. It wasn¡¯t a false saying. Han Yanyan was already beautiful in cheap and ill-fitting clothing. Han Yanyan dressed to the nines in expensive clothes was a stunning, scholarly-looking beauty.


    Yao Chen was very satisfied. Both with her, and with his own foresight.


    ¡°Don¡¯t I have to go to work today?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not today, and not from now on,¡± he told her.


    Han Yanyan stared at him. Yao Chen rolled his eyes. ¡°Does my girlfriend still need to work?¡±


    ¡°Is the matter settled?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. First, eat.¡± Yao Chen exhaled a ring of smoke, looked at the little lamb on his plate, and smiled.


    Dinner was steak with red wine. The restaurant is elegant, the food exquisitely prepared. Yao Chen seemed to know his way around western utensils, and his etiquette wasn¡¯t bad either. Given his high school dropout, gangster background, Han Yanyan guessed that he must deliberately sought out a teacher to train him.


    After dinner, Han Yanyan put her napkin aside and asked, ¡°Can we talk about it now?¡±


    Yao Chen took a sip of red wine and swirled it around his glass. ¡°You¡¯re quite good at western food etiquette.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve attended school lectures on the subject,¡± Han Yanyan replied.


    But these so-called lectures were only theoretical things, not practice. Expertly cutting food with a knife and fork, elbows tucked, shoulders straight pinching, were details difficult to achieve without a period of training, even if one knew technically how to do it. Once upon a time, foreign aristocratic ladies had even practiced controlling the angle of their elbows with straps on their shoulders and chests.


    Yao Chen had indeed received lessons from a teacher, but Han Yanyan had still done better than him. It was because she had once received the full upbringing of a lady from the upper class.


    It didn¡¯t quite sit right with him, but since it was such a trivial matter, he didn¡¯t take it personally.


    When their plates had been removed, he told her, ¡°Try calling your parents.¡±


    Han Yanyan called suspiciously, only to find that she had been blocked. It wasn¡¯t her who had blocked her parents, but them who had blocked her.


    She was quite surprised.


    Yao Chen handed her a brown paper bag, smiling, which she opened to find a stack of signed documents. She leafed through it carefully and said, startled, ¡°A predatory loan?¡±


    Three months ago, Yao Chen¡¯s people had spammed Han Yanyan¡¯s younger brother¡¯s phone number with advertisements. Little Brother Han had been willing to sell a kidney to buy a new phone, so as soon as he saw the text messages, he had reached out to them. He hadn¡¯t cared about the terms. He put his signature down on a contract to repay 20,000 yuan, got 5,000 yuan in cash, and gladly bought the gaming laptop his heart desired.


    When the loan came due, he couldn¡¯t pay. He was then bamboozled into signing an IOU for another 60,000, and what that expired unpaid¡­ In three months, the initial loan of 5,000 yuan had snowballed into 700,000.


    When Han Yanyan¡¯s parents found out, it was as if the sky would fall.


    ¡°Usually we ask for two hundred thousand after three months. For five thousand to become seven hundred thousand, I¡¯ve got to say, your brother¡¯s brain¡­ ¡± Was really something to write home about. Thankfully, Han Yanyan¡¯s brain was obviously working, something Yao Chen was quite relieved to think about.


    Han Yanyan didn¡¯t respond. She was reading the last piece of paper. It was handwritten.


    After the debt had snowballed into 700,000 yuan, scenes of phone threats, banging at the door, and being stopped at work had all appeared, one after the other. Her family had been falling apart. They didn¡¯t have anything close to that amount of money. When the family savings of under 100,000 yuan had been handed over to the lenders, they were faced with the future of selling their house. At that moment, the man from the lenders had said, ¡°I hear that your family also has a daughter, a college student, very beautiful?¡±


    Mother and Father Han, induced by the loan company, had written this guarantee that the debt would be repaid by Han Yanyan, their daughter studying in K City.


    If this had been set in ancient times, it would be selling a daughter to pay for a debt. No wonder she had been blocked.


    When she had finished reading, she threw the stack on the table and leaned back in her chair, silent and desolate ¨C no matter how she really felt, her character was that of a daughter who was ¡°strong inside, unwillingly exploited by her parents but bound by blood, painfully conflicted¡±, and she had to behave accordingly.


    One of her hands on the table was clenched into a fist, so tight that her knuckles turned white. She paid great attention to details.


    ¡°They thought that we would kidnap you and force you to sell yourself. Well, that¡¯s what we suggested, anyway,¡± Yao Chen said.


    He looked at her drooping lashes and red eyes, sighed, and stretched out his hand. Covering her hand with his, he comforted her by saying, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. Blood isn¡¯t all that important. They didn¡¯t bring you into this world to give you life, but merely as a byproduct of their own pleasure. Will thinking this make you feel better?¡±


    He patted her hand again, then held it.


    His grip was tight. He may have been comforting her, but he was also reminding her that his ultimate goal for tonight was to fuck her.


    It was inevitable.


    Han Yanyan raised her eyes up to look at him.


    Ah.

 Chapter 43.1

    Yao Chen had originally intended to tell Han Yanyan over dinner. She was a girl with a tough front but a soft heart. She wouldn¡¯t have been exploited by her parents otherwise. She would certainly have felt miserable over being sold like a commodity by her parents.


    He had planned to comfort her at dinner, let her calm down on the road, and then make his move once he had gotten her to his residence.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad plan, but she had disrupted his entire rhythm.


    After reading the signed contract, the IOU and the guarantee, she never said another word. Instead, she was horribly silent.


    Yao Chen¡¯s prepared encouraging speech had gone to waste. She sat across from him in the car, looking out the window at the night view without expression. He was a little afraid that she might repress her feelings negatively. There were some strong emotions which, if not released, would eventually explode.


    He couldn¡¯t help but say something. ¡°Actually, you¡¯ll find that once you disregard blood relations, things will be much easier. It isn¡¯t as painful as you think¡­¡±


    Han Yanyan turned her head. In the dim belly of the car, her dark eyes looked deep and unfathomable.


    Yao Chen¡¯s words cut off as she rose, made her way onto his lap, and stopped his mouth with hers.


    Caught off guard, he froze for a moment. When his confused hands finally reacted and encircled her waist, she pulled back.


    ¡°Can you shut up?¡± she asked.


    Though she looked cold, Yao Chen¡¯s blood was hot.


    ¡°I can.¡± He was smiling.


    He pressed her head back down to his lips.


    When the car paused at the traffic lights, the driver and the little brother in the co-pilot¡¯s seat felt the car shaking. The rear compartment of the limo was completely closed off, and there was an isolation barrier between, so one could neither see nor hear what was going on.


    But the shaking was so obvious that the two men looked at each other.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± said the little brother. ¡°Are they doing it back there?¡±


    The driver chuckled.


    When the red light turns green, the driver released the brake and stepped on the accelerator. ¡°Drive slowly, drive slowly,¡± said the little brother.


    So the car crawled along in the slow lane. Thankfully there were few cars at night, so it wasn¡¯t an obstruction to other drivers.


    The rear compartment was damp and dark, and the glass fogged up with the heat emitted by the human body.


    Han Yanyan had many memories of cars. Ding Yao liked to use sex to relieve the rush of adrenaline after a fight.


    It wasn¡¯t always possible to find a suitable camping spot. Oftentimes, their caravan could only park out in the wild, and everyone slept in their own cars.


    A narrow space, damp and humid. The pounding and shaking would make the car creak, attracting two or three wandering zombies who would press themselves against the glass windows. As Han Yanyan fell apart, she would silently beg Ding Yao to get rid of the zombie onlookers. He would just laugh and do nothing.


    What terrible taste in hobbies.


    Han Yanyan could only climax as the zombies watched.


    How boring it was back then. With no TV, no radio, no phones or computers, night-time fun was all they had. Everyone partook of it. Who knew if the next day would be their last? They seized happiness wherever it could be found.


    She actually contemplated it a lot later on. How on earth had she fallen in love with Ding Yao? Look at Yao Chen. The tricks he played were more than enough to make any ordinary woman fall in love with him, but she didn¡¯t have even a smidgen of interest.


    Sure enough, she thought, it was because of the environment.


    The atmosphere of the apocalypse was so special because the specter of death hung overhead every day, and one was constantly high on adrenaline. The hearts of the people were numb and empty because they had no future. Any ounce of tenderness, any little feeling of stability, was infinitely magnified.


    Actually, she didn¡¯t really love Ding Yao as much as she had thought. What she was most uncomfortable about was that he was stuck in her throat, that it was hard to let him go.


    As for Yao Chen, was he Ding Yao? Was he?


    Yao Chen had always felt that the word ¡°fierce¡±, when it came to the affairs between men and women, was something that only applied to him. He hadn¡¯t expected that one day he would be proven wrong.


    Her fairy-like skin was peeled off, revealing her true self to be a man-eating siren. She was fierce and ruthless, as if she were about to bleed him to the bone, the better that she might ascend to immortality1.


    As expected, she found her own climax. At that moment, she suddenly let go of the hand gripping the hair on his head and instead pressed down hard on his shoulder. The other arm around his neck frantically searched for support, and finally held onto the ceiling.


    Yao Chen looked up at her to see her neck stretched even more slender because she was looking up. She let out a suffocated groan, and he couldn¡¯t tell if it was in pleasure or pain. Yao Chen¡¯s breathing suddenly became heavier, and for the first time, he felt them both in sync with each other.


    One could say that they were quite compatible.


    But at that joyous moment, Han Yanyan fell limply back on his shoulder. In that quiet, confined space, Yao Chen clearly heard her whisper a name.


    In his ear, she murmured and cried out, ¡°Ding Yao.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­


    Yao Chen: ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Fuck! ! !


    It was a man¡¯s name. It was definitely a man¡¯s name!

 Chapter 43.2

    Yao Chen was accustomed to indulgence and dissolution. He didn¡¯t care about sincerity and paid no mind to virginity or chastity. It was only this time that was fucking unbearable! He almost wanted to strangle Han Yanyan!


    But¡­ he was loathe to do so.


    At that moment, Yao Chen¡¯s anger and jealousy was burning far higher than any lust. He sat in the backseat, holding in his embrace a pliant and softened woman, breathing hard and recovering. When he had caught his breath, he propped himself up, hauled Han Yanyan up as well and pressed her onto the opposite seat.


    The two had never separated. He was still inside her and the second round came seamlessly as if they had never stopped.


    Yao Chen¡¯s fury was spilling over. Since he was reluctant to strike and scold the siren, all he could do was turn anger into lust and burn her to death!


    When the tranquil car entered the villa area where Yao Chen lived, it once again began shaking violently.


    The driver groaned.


    The younger brother in the copilot¡¯s seat was relatively zen in comparison, and gestured, ¡°Just do a couple laps around, around¡­¡±


    The car wandered around the villa for who knew how many laps. Finally, just as the two in the front were starting to get a little sleepy, the car gave one final, violent shake and stopped!


    Thank the heavens!


    The driver parked at Yao Chen¡¯s door, yawning. Since he didn¡¯t know what was going on inside, he didn¡¯t dare open the door for Yao Chen like usual. It was a long time before the door opened.


    Both Yao Chen and Han Yanyan emerged fully dressed and only a little mussed. ¡°Don¡¯t arrive too early tomorrow,¡± Yao Chen told them. ¡°Wait for me to call.¡± Then he pulled Han Yanyan into his embrace and walked in with her under his arm.


    The courtyard was lit, and both the driver and younger brother could clearly see her legs trembling.


    The two men re-entered the car, chuckled, and drove away.


    Han Yanyan¡¯s clothes were wet and sticky, and her legs weak. She felt terribly uncomfortable. Compared with the bodies she had had in the prior two worlds, this body was far too weak. It would have to be well exercised in the future.


    ¡°Where is the bedroom? I want to take a bath,¡± she said wearily once she was inside the door.


    Yao Chen snorted. Slamming the door shut, he shoved her against it.


    ¡°Is Ding Yao your ex-boyfriend?¡± he demanded.


    Before, when mentioning Han Yanyan¡¯s boyfriend, he had always smilingly referred to him as ¡°your boyfriend¡±. Now he had changed the term to ¡®ex-boyfriend¡¯, with an emphasis on the ¡®ex¡¯.


    Han Yanyan gave him a faint look. Yao Chen had not responded in any way to the name ¡°Ding Yao¡±. Even if he really was Ding Yao, he had no memory of the last world.


    She denied it coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I¡¯m going to take a bath.¡± She pushed him aside and headed upstairs.


    This woman didn¡¯t even recognize the man she was fucking. Yao Chen bared his teeth in anger.


    He pressed her back to the door, propped his arms on it to cage her in, and stared at her for a while, pressing the tip of his tongue into his cheek in thought. Finally, he said, ¡°Forget it this time, but if I ever hear that man¡¯s name again, I¡¯ll make him disappear. I hope you realize how many ghosts lie drowned in Qinghe Bay that I put there.¡±


    There was a fierce light in his eyes as he said this. He was being serious. A life was nothing to him. He was full of anger, and since he couldn¡¯t bear to take it out on her, he would chop the man up instead and dump his body.


    Qinghe Bay¡­


    Han Yanyan memorized the name. She lowered her eyes and said softly, ¡°What¡¯s there for you to mind about someone I¡¯ll never see again? Do I care when you take Emily and the others out?¡±


    Not really.


    Yao Chen liked to use Sakura and the other escorts to tease her, and Han Yanyan had even seen him take them out for the night, and reacted only with a faint glance. He had liked watching her look as though she had no emotion. It was interesting. But now that he thought about it, in that faint and brief look was not much in the way of caring.


    All of a sudden, he no longer liked the feeling.


    Even Emily, May and Sakura were jealous of each other, and competed over how often he took them out.


    Han Yanyan relaxed, leaned gently against the door, and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t lose your temper. I can hardly stand, let¡¯s take a shower and go to bed. You¡¯re killing me, you beast.¡±


    Hearing such half-complaining words secretly stroking his male ego, Yao Chen felt better. Her tired appearance made his heart soften, and he snorted, bent down, and picked her up as if picking up a child.


    Han Yanyan let out a cry of surprise, then chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck.


    Men who had pulled themselves up by their bootstraps often value material comforts more than those born into wealth. The big bathtub in Yao Chen¡¯s bathroom was simply extravagant.


    Han Yanyan soaked until her hands and feet felt boneless.


    But Yao Chen wasn¡¯t ready to let her go. Although he looked like he enjoyed how fiercely she crushed him, it wasn¡¯t his habit to let anyone else get the upper hand. He was used to conquering women thoroughly.


    Han Yanyan felt as if she was floating in the clouds. An electric current coursed through her every cell, her every pore was open and breathing. It seemed like her body had evaporated and solidified once again, and then finally fallen heavily, penetrating through all those layers of clouds and landing on a big, soft bed.


    Her toes were taut and trembling, and her consciousness was blank. She was instinctively hugging her man, her palms sweaty. Sweat slid down the valleys and mountains of his muscles, and where their skin was attached to each other, it was wet, sticky, and greasy. Her bath had been taken in vain.


    Yao Chen rolled her over and let her lie on his chest. Her eyes were out of focus, and her complete absence of mind satisfied him.


    He reached out to the bedside table, lit a cigarette, and breathed it in for a while before gently caressing her back and asking, ¡°Feeling better?¡±


    There was no steam that could not be let off through a lengthy tumble. If one tumble wasn¡¯t enough, then have another.


    ¡°Un,¡± Han Yanyan replied.


    A long time later, when Yao Chen had almost finished his cigarette, she suddenly said softly, ¡°Sometimes I feel like I¡¯m dreaming¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Yao Chen asked, around his cigarette.


    ¡°I always have this feeling like my own past¡­ is like someone else¡¯s life,¡± she said low. ¡°It feels like¡­ the whole world is somehow not quite right.¡±


    ¡°Yao Chen¡­¡± she looked up at Yao Chen and asked, ¡°Do you have ever have the feeling that you¡¯re¡­ trapped by this world?¡±


    She stared at him without blinking, for fear of missing even the minutest change in his expression.

 Chapter 44.1

    ¡°Poor thing.¡± Yao Chen held his cigarette in one hand, took Han Yanyan¡¯s face with the other, and said sympathetically, ¡°Follow behind me in the future, and you will shake off your past and be the master of the world.¡±


    His answer shattered Han Yanyan¡¯s hypothesis that ¡°Yao Chen might be Ding Yao¡±. She couldn¡¯t help but feel at a loss.


    Had she been wrong?


    Speaking of which, the two men were actually very different. Ding Yao was an educated man who had gone to university, and his management of the Thunder Regiment had the faint overtones of managing a large enterprise. He was a man whose every pore oozed ¡®elite¡¯.


    Yao Chen was different. He had gotten his start through boorish means, and the little details on his body showed how he had pulled himself up by his bootstraps. His little habits, like his foul language or when he stuck the tip of his the tongue into his cheek,  were very reminiscent of a ruffian.


    In truth, Han Yanyan had no evidence to prove that Yao Chen was Ding Yao. It was simply her hunch based on coincidences during times while they were intimate. In those moments, her heart would hammer in fright, but it was difficult to call it hard evidence.


    If he wasn¡¯t Ding Yao¡­


    Han Yanyan suddenly lost interest. The momentum that had been stirring was lost. She reluctantly smiled and laid her head down on Yao Chen¡¯s chest lazily, no longer saying anything.


    Yao Chen had Han Yanyan move into his residence. He had his own large study, and another smaller one adjacent to the bedroom. He gave the smaller one to her, so that she might have a study of her own.


    It could be said that he was very considerate.


    Han Yanyan was his very first serious girlfriend. Any women before her were lovers at most. The difference was that before, he had slept with them simply to sleep with them, but when he slept with Han Yanyan, he did so to keep her by his side.


    Sometimes Yao Chen looked at her and wondered what the difference was.


    In the end it came down to the fact that he was getting old. Once one got old, even if you still went crazy, even if you still went wild, you would start thinking about settling down. And the most important part of settling down was marriage.


    The reason why Yao Chen had so earnestly sought a girlfriend was that when Han Yanyan had told him seriously that she could not accept an improper relationship, an unexpected idea had emerged in his mind ¨C marriage.


    When they began living together, Yao Chen felt the monotony of Han Yanyan¡¯s life up close.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you bored?¡± he once asked her, confused.


    In his opinion, her life was just too dull.


    Han Yanyan had stopped working ever since becoming his girlfriend. How could Yao Chen, in his role as boyfriend, allow her to worry about money any more? On the day she moved in, he had given her a card and told her, ¡°Cash is in the safe in the small study.¡±


    The smaller study did have a safe, and Yao Chen told her the password. Han Yanyan didn¡¯t stand on courtesy and opened it to find hundreds of thousands inside in cash.


    All in cash.


    She knew that she had to be patient. This was still the first step in her plan to conquer Yao Chen. What she wanted, needed to get, was to gain his trust, and his trust could only be gained slowly.


    She wasn¡¯t worried. In these worlds, time might possibly be the least important thing of all. Even if she died of old age in this world, wouldn¡¯t she be young and beautiful again in the next?


    That is, provided Leo didn¡¯t jump out and rush her along.


    It was because she knew this that she lived life calmly, and just how she wanted.


    ¡®Student Han Yanyan¡¯ didn¡¯t have the strength of ¡®Apocalypse Han Yanyan¡¯, nor did she have the elite education and business experience of ¡®Eldest Miss Han Yanyan¡¯. But ¡®Student Han Yanyan¡¯ was still in school. She was possessed of a clear mind and quick learning, and she as a truly gifted student.


    Han Yanyan had once thought about furthering her skills, going back to school and learning something more, but thanks to life events or her own inertia, today had always been put off until tomorrow, and such ambitions had been dragged out, time wasted.


    Now she never again had to work for money in this life. She had time, energy and brains. It was perfect.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Han Yanyan answered him, sitting at her desk and turning her pen, ¡°I just got a gym membership. In the future I¡¯ll be making time for fitness, too.¡±


    Her desk was covered with books, some of them in stacks. In one hand, Han Yanyan rested her chin on her palm, and in the other she turned her pen. After moving in, she had bought a few sets of clothes to wear around the house, all of them plain in colour but elegant in cut. They were not sexy at all, but instead gave off the impression of being fresh and pleasant.


    She herself, in her entirety, was fresh and pleasant.


    With such a woman at home, even the house felt cosy.

 Chapter 44.2

    All day every day, Han Yanyan stayed indoors, never going out to socialize. Her life was outrageously monotonous. This sort of life was completely incomprehensible to Yao Chen. He was the type of man who felt uncomfortable if there wasn¡¯t some form of uproar currently going on. He was accustomed to a life that revolved around red lanterns and green wine1.


    Han Yanyan lived far too quietly. Feeling that this would not do, Yao Chen pulled her out of her shell.


    Wherever Yao Chen went, Sanhu and the others inevitably followed, and Yao Chen soon discovered that Han Yanyan couldn¡¯t blend in with his brothers at all.


    After all, Han Yanyan was neither Emily nor Sakura. She couldn¡¯t sit on Sanhu¡¯s lap and drink a toast with him, nor could she laugh and smack him playfully when he dallied with her. They were not on the same wavelength at all.


    Sanhu and his gang, knowing that Han Yanyan was Yao Chen¡¯s ¡°serious2¡± girlfriend, all called her ¡°sister-in-law¡±. Han Yanyan was in no way cold to them ¨C in fact, she always responded very politely and gently ¨C but Yao Chen could feel the cool alienation under her mildness.


    Meanwhile, Sanhu, used to hanging around with escorts, knew absolutely nothing at all about respecting women. He made filthy jokes without even considering her presence, and it was certainly impossible to ask him not to have escorts around him merely because Han Yanyan was also present.


    Yao Chen watched her as she sipped wine. Her eyes were distant and alienated, and he realized that he had done something wrong.


    She was a serious girlfriend, who couldn¡¯t be embarrassed by exposing her to the vulgar, raunchy japes of other men.


    And to mix one¡¯s serious girlfriend in with shady women, even he was subtly uncomfortable inside, let alone her.


    He later told Han Yanyan, ¡°If you don¡¯t like hanging out with Sanhu and the others, you don¡¯t need to go in the future.¡±


    He was actually a little worried that Han Yanyan would look relieved. If she did, that meant that deep inside, she looked down on men like Sanhu. And whether he admitted it or not, he and Sanhu came from the very same humble origins.


    He didn¡¯t want Han Yanyan to look down on him.


    Fortunately, Han Yanyan didn¡¯t do anything of the sort. She responded casually as if it were trivial. Yao Chen breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°What are you reading so intently?¡± He lifted her book. Looking at it made his skull ache.


    Yao Chen was a true academic bottom-feeder.


    Han Yanyan giggled, amused.


    Meanwhile, the fact that Sanhu was secretly ridiculing his little sister in law Han Yanyan for being ¡°stuffy and boring¡± became known to Yao Chen, who kicked him hard in the leg. But Yao Chen wouldn¡¯t explain to him the truth that when he and Han Yanyan were alone, she wasn¡¯t stuffy at all, and had nothing at all to do with the word ¡°boring¡±.


    In bed she was as wild as a succubus, and he was the only man who could subdue her.


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not that I really want you to go out playing with them. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re bored just read books at home all day.¡± Yao Chen explained to her, sitting down on the big leather chair next to Han Yanyan.


    ¡°But if I were living at the school dorms, I would definitely be at the library studying right now.¡± She poked his forehead with her slender finger. ¡°You silly man, I¡¯m a student. My classmates that live on campus don¡¯t leave the school from dawn till dusk. When they¡¯re not reading, they¡¯re reading. As students, what would we do if we weren¡¯t reading, going out and partying like you?¡±


    It was true. Yao Chen thought so too.


    Besides, it was quite reassuring for Han Yanyan to stay at home in such a well-behaved manner.


    Her little succubus side never showed its face normally. She looked just like a decent girl from a respectable family. But it would take her mere minutes to hook up with a man if she decided she wanted to. Her being willing to go to school conscientiously and stay at home honestly wasn¡¯t bad at all really.


    Just as he was thinking so, he heard Han Yanyan ask, ¡°Yao Chen, if we break up, will you give me a generous alimony?¡± She even stressed the word ¡®generous.


    Yao Chen: ¡°¡­¡±


    Yao Chen felt mentally exhausted.


    He never felt the generation gap even sleeping with a 17-year-old escort. It was only when facing up against Han Yanyan¡¯s mental jumps when he couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡°Am I getting old?¡±. He couldn¡¯t keep up!


    ¡°What are you thinking about now?¡± He pinched both her cheeks. ¡°Are you hoping we¡¯ll break up?¡±


    Han Yanyan saved her face from his clutches, massaged her cheeks in distress, and replied, ¡°I¡¯m a little worried.¡±


    ¡°What are you worried about?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You spoil me,¡± she said, ¡°You were the one who told me before that when you watch other people cut loose all the time your mind slowly becomes less and less clear. After I got together with you, I¡¯ve been wear branded clothes, using branded goods, eating and drinking well. I don¡¯t think I could possibly go back to how I used to be. Sooner or later, I¡¯m going to get more and more confused. So, if we ever break up, I hope that you¡¯ll give me a huuuuge alimony, so that I can continue living like this and not sink down into destitution for want of money.¡±


    When she said ¡°huge¡±, she made a rather exaggerated gesture with her hands.


    But her eyes were clear. There was neither greed nor calculation in them.


    Yao Chen pursed his lips. ¡°I think you¡¯re quite clear-headed at the moment, but¡­¡±


    He hefted her onto the desk and began to untie her belt with a ferocious grin. ¡°Since you¡¯ve asked so nicely, I¡¯ll give you 200 million each time¡­¡±


    On her study desk he roguishly began a project worth 200 million yuan. As he moved in and out he thought that this wasn¡¯t a bad way to monopolize her charm, to make her inseparable from him.


    At the end of their exercise, Yao Chen squeezed them both into the big leather chair, and she spoke to him seriously.


    ¡°Actually, after school started, there was a school job fair. All my classmates went there to look for jobs,¡± she said. ¡°I thought about it. If you¡¯re willing to support me, I won¡¯t look for a job for awhile. I want to take the graduate school entrance examination.¡±


    Yao Chen immediately expressed his support of her. ¡°Definitely. Don¡¯t worry so much about it, I¡¯ll support you in whatever you choose. Just go to school and study hard. Looking for a job? Does my woman need a job?¡±


    Yao Chen might have been a true academic bottom-feeder, but he was very supportive of Han Yanyan¡¯s studies. ¡°Study hard,¡± he told her, ¡°all the way to a PhD.¡±


    Han Yanyan knew that she was very close to having her finger on this man¡¯s pulse.


    Yao Chen was a very vigilant and wary man. She had been with him for months, yet she still hadn¡¯t touched anything really useful. For her plan to capture Yao Chen, Han Yanyan was mentally prepared for a long, guerilla war.


    And the very first thing she had to do was to add importance to herself, to make herself into an intellectual goddess, an unobtainable flower on a high cliff.