Hua Xue-Ning was deeply dissatisfied.
"Do you want to or not? You're making me and the master argue over this!"
"If you want to, just say so!"
"But didn't you just say no?"
"Earlier… I was just too embarrassed!"
"So now you're suddenly not embarrassed anymore?"
Lu Cheng-Wen laughed, watching from the side.
"I…" Luo Shi-Yin's face turned red. "I'm shameless, okay? Is that what you want to hear?"
Hua Xue-Ning still wasn't convinced. "Really? Are you sure?"
Luo Shi-Yin was on the verge of exploding. She tugged at Lu Cheng-Wen's sleeve. "Cheng-Wen, look at her!"
Lu Cheng-Wen held back his laughter, pretending to scold Hua Xue-Ning: "Hua Xue-Ning! Do you think your master is such a brute? Forcing people to agree even if they don't want to? Is that how you see me?"
"No! Not at all! It's just that earlier… just now she clearly…"
Lu Cheng-Wen put his arm around Hua Xue-Ning and led her aside. "Silly girl, your Sister Shi-Yin is just shy! When someone's shy, they'll say no out loud, but then…"
Hua Xue-Ning tried to understand. "So, even if she says no, she'll still come over on her own?"
"Exactly!"
Lu Cheng-Wen said, "Now go take a break. There's a lot of good food upstairs; go enjoy it. Also, remember all those nice clothes you bought the other day? Go try them on. You'll look amazing."
Hua Xue-Ning beamed. "Alright, I'll go. Master, I think… I'm getting better at dressing up lately!"
"You look great, absolutely stunning. Go on now."
Hua Xue-Ning took a few steps, then turned back. "Sister Shi-Yin!"
Luo Shi-Yin was close to tears. "I really want to, just go upstairs already, Xue-Ning."
"Oh, I know!" Hua Xue-Ning said cheerfully. "This time, shout as much as you like. There's no one else in the villa, and Master got me noise-canceling headphones. You can yell all you want!"
Luo Shi-Yin's face twitched uncontrollably.
Watching Hua Xue-Ning bounce up the stairs, Luo Shi-Yin suddenly felt awkward, left alone with Lu Cheng-Wen. She became visibly reserved, lowering her head and staying silent for a long time.
"What's wrong?" Lu Cheng-Wen asked.
Luo Shi-Yin lifted her head, her expression full of sadness. "Do you… think I'm cheap?"
"No, never," he replied.
"I… I used to rely on my Enchantment Elixir as an excuse. Now… I'm not even poisoned, yet I came to you willingly. I can't even maintain a shred of dignity anymore. Even Hua Xue-Ning knows I came here of my own accord…"
Lu Cheng-Wen pulled her into an embrace. "So what? These things have nothing to do with your character."
Luo Shi-Yin raised her head, feeling as if Lu Cheng-Wen's perspective was entirely different from anyone else's in the world.
"How could it have nothing to do with it?"
Since she was a child, every man who looked at her had the same lecherous smirk. She knew exactly what they wanted when they spoke sweetly to her. Growing up in such an environment, Luo Shi-Yin harbored deep self-loathing—toward both her soul and her body.
She believed herself to be innately lowly and filthy, the kind of person who could only rely on seduction to make her way through the world.
She felt inferior to others, envying Hua Xue-Ning's speed and agility, Zhuge Xiao-Hua's Myriad Silver Eye Technique, and Qi Mei-Shao's Nuwa's Bloodline.
But she herself was stuck with such a seductive technique and a matching constitution...
As a result, deep down, Luo Shi-Yin lacked confidence in herself.
She was conflicted.
When facing ordinary men, she felt like a goddess—capable of easily defeating, manipulating, and treating them like mere cattle.
But when faced with a man immune to her seductive techniques, she felt an innate sense of admiration mixed with profound inferiority.
To her, such a man was qualified to stand above her, looking down with disdain and judgment.
Initially, Luo Shi-Yin hadn't taken Lu Cheng-Wen seriously. Even when she started liking him, she hadn't realized it. Back then, her concerns were always self-centered—afraid her secret feelings would be exposed, leading to betrayal and isolation.
But the moment she discovered that Lu Cheng-Wen had become immune to her techniques, she panicked.
It was then she finally realized just how deeply she had fallen for him.
She didn't want to admit it, so she tried convincing herself: I hate Lu Cheng-Wen. I'll kill him one day and avenge myself.
But no matter how much she steeled herself in private, her resolve melted the moment she saw him.
She found herself longing.
Longing for Lu Cheng-Wen to hold her close, whisper sweet words, and comfort her.
Longing for him to treat her gently, as if she were just an ordinary girl.
At the same time, she felt deeply insecure.
Lu Cheng-Wen was the kind of man who didn't lack women.
Without her Five-Colored Illusionary Eyes, Luo Shi-Yin felt she had no advantages compared to other women. If anything, she was at a disadvantage.
Lu Cheng-Wen seemed to sense the inner turmoil and struggle within her.
Gently, he wrapped his arms around her. "How about we just sit and talk?"
Luo Shi-Yin lowered her head. "Are you… no longer interested in me?"
Then she looked up again, desperate. "If I took the medicine, would you be interested again? I… I can take it."
Lu Cheng-Wen felt a pang in his chest.
This girl... could she really be this fragile?
"Shi-Yin," Lu Cheng-Wen said softly, "I know you never wanted to practice seductive arts. I know you're afraid I might look down on you. But I won't. Never."
Luo Shiyin was struck right in the heart and teared up. "You… liar."
"If I'm lying, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death."
Luo Shiyin panicked, "Don't say that! Don't say that! It doesn't count, it doesn't count. What you just said doesn't count…"
Lu Chengwen grabbed her hand firmly. "Even if the sky falls, it counts."
Luo Shiyin bit her lip and lowered her head. "Actually, it doesn't matter… even I despise myself. Ha, now I'm certain—I'm born cheap."
She hugged Lu Chengwen. "Today, I came to you willingly. You can do whatever you want with me."
Lu Chengwen gently stroked the back of her head. "When you're like this, how could I bear to hurt you? Shiyin, emotions are hard to explain. When you like someone, you want to be with them… and you want to do those intimate things. It's perfectly normal. Even ordinary girls without colorful magical eyes, special dual cultivation physiques, or natural charms feel the same way."
"But I… I have all of those."
Lu Chengwen pushed her away slightly and looked into her eyes. "And those are all your advantages! Think about those girls who run to plastic surgery clinics every day, shaving their faces, getting double eyelids, liposuction, slimming their thighs, enlarging their breasts… Why? Because they want to make themselves prettier and more attractive!"
"I…"
"You were born lucky, with everything they could only dream of for eight lifetimes."
Finally, Luo Shiyin smiled. "The way you say it, I almost seem like a good girl."
"You are a good girl."
Luo Shiyin touched Lu Chengwen's cheek. "What do I do now… I think I can't live without you anymore."
Lu Chengwen held her hand. "Then don't leave."
"But I… I…"
"I'll find a way to explain everything to Senior Brother."
Luo Shiyin shook her head. "He's actually very narrow-minded. He would never accept something like this."
"Don't forget, I made a bet with him. If I managed to win you over, he should hand over Zhuge Xiaohua and Qi Meishao to me, all wrapped up as a gift."
Luo Shiyin was both amused and angry. "You already have so many women. Isn't that enough? You're still thinking about Xiaohua and Meishao?"
Before Lu Chengwen could explain, she continued, "But… if the four of us serve you together, that would actually be quite nice."
Then she pretended to act fierce. "Four sisters! We'll tire you out, you big bad guy!"
Lu Chengwen hugged Luo Shiyin tightly. "It's late. Are you sure it's safe for you to be out? Should you head back first? Safety comes first now."
Luo Shiyin hesitated. "Since I'm already here… there's no rush."
Lu Chengwen laughed. "How about I show you my bedroom?"
Luo Shiyin's face turned red. "What's so interesting about that…"
Lu Chengwen thought for a moment. "My bed has a special function."
"What special function?"
"It lets you sleep."
"Re… really?"
"I swear on it." Lu Chengwen said, "Don't you want to see a bed you can sleep on? A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Luo Shiyin blushed even more. "Well… I'll just look at the bed. Nothing else… I wasn't thinking about anything else."
Lu Chengwen took her hand and led her to the bedroom. "You've got to see it for yourself. There's also a pillow, and it's truly one of a kind! Ha…"
Meanwhile, Hua Xue'ning from the flower room put on her noise-canceling headphones and sighed. "Heaven, this isn't my fault. Sister Shiyin walked into this herself."
Lying on the bed, Hua Xue'ning thought for a moment, then took off her headphones.
Listening… it wouldn't hurt, would it?
It's not like she hadn't heard anything before.
Xu Xuejiao and Long Aotian were negotiating with the people from Dayu Group, but the talks collapsed.
In industry terms, it was a case of uneven profit sharing.
Dayu Group had a strong brand in amusement parks and abundant funds.
They were planning to invest 24 billion yuan to create a massive amusement park project.
It would have everything.
Amusement parks, museums, bungee centers, planetariums, wax museums, anime expos, performance halls, shopping centers, food courts, yacht clubs…
It was a dream come true.
Long Aotian wanted to negotiate. After all, the land was only worth around 2 billion yuan. Logically, they wouldn't hold more than 10% of the shares, which was entirely acceptable.
But Xu Xuejiao was determined to ask for 25%.
The people from Dayu Group thought Xu Xuejiao was insane. Even Long Aotian couldn't understand her.
In the end, the negotiations ended in discord.
Long Aotian was exasperated. "Xuejiao, what are you doing?"
Xu Xuejiao looked at him. "Brother Tian, I'm doing this for you."
"Then why are you asking for such a high price? It's over 20 billion yuan—it will take years to recover the investment."
Xu Xuejiao replied, "They have a profitable project in the provincial capital, but if they want to open a second one in Xuecheng, they must use our land. No other location has the same advantages."
"But asking for 25% is ridiculous. That's basically asking them to invest and work for us!"
Xu Xuejiao's eyes gleamed slyly. "I never intended to work with them."
"Huh? Then… what are you planning to do?"
"Brother Tian, I've seen their plans and designs. Why should we work with them? We can do it ourselves!"
"Do it ourselves?" Long Aotian was confused. "Where would we get so much money?"
Xu Xuejiao gritted her teeth. "Lu Chengwen has it!"