Chapter 229: A Heroine Takes Interest In The Villain

Tang Meilin had moved beside Gu Qingya.

The two women quietly talked.

Then...

Lu Chen’s thoughts echoed again.

[Fine.]

Gu Qingya heard.

[Let them act cold.]

Tang Meilin’s expression stiffened.

[They’ll understand eventually.]

Both women slowly looked toward him.

He didn’t notice.

[Qingya especially.]

Her face hardened.

[She’s already my fiancée.]

Her fingers curled.

[Shen Tian just confused her.]

Gu Qingya’s disgust turned almost physical.

Then...

[Once I deal with him...]

Her eyes sharpened.

Shen Tian noticed.

"What’s wrong?"

Gu Qingya looked toward him.

Then Lu Chen.

"Nothing."

Shen Tian smiled.

"That’s my line."

This time...

She laughed.

A real laugh.

Small.

But real.

Lu Chen heard.

His expression became colder.

Shen Tian looked toward him.

Then...

His smile became arrogant again.

Not because he needed Gu Qingya.

Not because he viewed her as another target to collect.

But because...

He knew exactly what bothered Lu Chen.

And he enjoyed it.

"Miss Gu."

She looked toward him.

"Yes?"

"Need a ride home?"

Lu Chen immediately spoke.

"I’m taking her."

Gu Qingya turned.

"No."

He frowned.

"I’m your bodyguard."

"Not anymore."

Silence.

Lu Chen stared.

"What?"

Gu Qingya’s expression became calm.

Cold.

Certain.

"You’re fired."

Everyone froze.

Lu Chen laughed.

At first...

He genuinely thought she was joking.

Then he saw her expression.

The laughter stopped.

"Your grandfather hired me."

"My grandfather does not employ you through Qinghe."

"I do."

"And I am terminating the arrangement."

Lu Chen stepped closer.

"Qingya."

She moved backward.

"Do not call me that."

His expression changed.

"You’re angry."

"No."

She shook her head.

"I am finished."

"You saved my life earlier."

"I thanked you."

"You helped tonight."

"I acknowledge that."

"But I do not want you beside me."

Her voice sharpened.

"I do not want you entering my office."

"I do not want you following me home."

"And I especially do not want you referring to me as yours."

Lu Chen stared.

His inner thoughts became chaotic.

[Because of Shen Tian?]

Gu Qingya heard.

Her eyes hardened further.

[That pretty boy shows up for a few hours and she suddenly...]

She stared.

Pretty boy?

Shen Tian raised an eyebrow at her expression.

Then Lu Chen thought...

[She’ll regret this.]

Gu Qingya’s face turned completely emotionless.

There.

That was the final piece.

Not...

Maybe I pushed too far.

Not...

I should listen.

Not...

I hurt her.

She’ll regret this.

It was always about his certainty.

His pride.

His ownership.

Gu Qingya stepped beside Shen Tian.

Not romantically.

Deliberately.

Choosing where she stood.

"I’ll ride with the Shen Family."

Lu Chen’s eyes moved toward Shen Tian.

Shen Tian smiled.

"Problem?"

Lu Chen slowly clenched his fists.

Shen Tian’s golden eyes gleamed.

He wanted Lu Chen to challenge him.

Almost.

But...

Then he remembered something.

Control.

Not just his harem.

Himself.

Being stronger did not mean reacting to every insult.

Shen Tian turned away.

That was worse.

"Let’s go."

Shen Yan immediately followed.

No rushing ahead.

No threats.

No interference.

She simply walked beside him.

Bai Xue joined.

Ling Shuangxue.

Gu Qingya.

Tang Meilin remained until her own family arrived.

Before leaving...

She looked toward Shen Tian.

"Thank you."

Shen Tian smiled.

"You’re welcome."

Lu Chen watched.

His expression became darker.

Then...

His thoughts echoed.

[They’re all surrounding him.]

Gu Qingya heard.

[What do they see in that bastard?]

She nearly rolled her eyes.

Then...

The next thought made her stop.

[Doesn’t matter.]

[I’ll crush him eventually.]

Gu Qingya slowly looked back.

Shen Tian noticed.

She looked toward him.

Then quietly said...

"Be careful around Lu Chen."

Shen Tian smiled.

"Why?"

She hesitated.

Could she tell him?

Then she remembered...

He already knew she could hear something.

"His thoughts aren’t normal."

Shen Tian’s expression became serious.

"What did he think?"

Gu Qingya’s jaw tightened.

"That he’ll crush you."

Shen Tian stared.

Then...

He laughed.

Not nervously.

Not arrogantly for show.

Genuinely amused.

Gu Qingya frowned.

"Why is that funny?"

Shen Tian opened the car door.

Then looked back toward Lu Chen.

The Mercenary King stood beneath the warehouse lights.

Powerful.

Dangerous.

Six hundred thousand Fate.

An entire mercenary organization behind him.

A hidden conspiracy connected to his past.

And an ego large enough to believe the city already belonged to him.

Shen Tian smiled.

"Because..."

His golden eyes gleamed.

"He’ll have to get stronger first."

Then...

He entered the car.

Gu Qingya stood frozen for half a second.

That confidence...

Should have sounded ridiculous.

Somehow...

After what she’d seen tonight...

It didn’t.

She entered after him.

The door closed.

The convoy departed.

Lu Chen remained alone.

Watching the taillights disappear.

His jaw tightened.

And inside his head...

One thought repeated.

[Shen Tian.]

[Shen Tian.]

[Shen Tian.]

For the first time since returning to China...

Lu Chen had found someone he couldn’t dismiss.

Someone he couldn’t intimidate.

Someone who had entered Spirit Perception almost casually.

Someone Gu Qingya trusted more after a single day than she trusted him.

Someone who had stolen his glory.

His targets.

His opportunities.

And unknowingly...

Was already tearing apart the destiny Heaven had prepared for him.

. . .

Inside the vehicle...

Shen Tian leaned back.

Shen Yan sat beside him.

But...

This time...

She left space.

Not much.

But enough.

Shen Tian noticed.

He smiled.

"Big Sis."

She looked toward him.

"What?"

"Good."

She understood immediately.

Her expression softened.

Then...

She leaned her head against his shoulder.

Not as a bodyguard.

Not hovering.

Just...

His sister.

Shen Tian allowed it.

Gu Qingya sat across from them.

She watched the difference.

Then...

She looked toward Shen Tian.

"You actually meant what you told her."

"What?"

"About boundaries."

Shen Tian raised an eyebrow.

"Why wouldn’t I?"

She looked toward the window.

"No reason."

But inside...

She thought about Lu Chen again.

And the difference became impossible to ignore.

Shen Tian corrected the people he cared about.

Lu Chen tried to control them.

Shen Tian listened.

Lu Chen assumed.

Shen Tian’s arrogance was enormous.

But strangely...

It didn’t make him treat everyone else like objects.

He simply had absolute confidence in himself.

Gu Qingya found that distinction...

Important.

Xu Ning appeared beside Shen Tian.

A final panel opened.

Night One Complete

Lu Chen Initial Fate Value: 620,000

Current Fate Value: 572,000

Total Fate stolen: 48,000

Gu Qingya destined attachment: Severely damaged

Tang Meilin destined attraction: Prevented

Red Scorpion opportunity: Partially stolen

Zhou Kang opportunity: Stolen

Host Cultivation: Spirit Perception Realm

Shen Tian stared.

Forty-eight thousand.

One night.

He smiled.

Xu Ning folded her arms.

[You look pleased.]

Very.

[Host...]

Hm?

[This is still only the beginning.]

Shen Tian looked through the window.

The city lights stretched endlessly.

Somewhere out there...

Xue Long remained alive.

A man Lu Chen believed he had killed.

Black Wolf had a traitor.

Qinghe’s neural defense prototype remained targeted.

Foreign mercenaries were entering China.

More heroines were waiting inside Lu Chen’s Fate.

More opportunities.

More enemies.

More hidden organizations.

And...

More Fate.

Shen Tian smiled.

His new Spirit Perception aura stirred quietly inside him.

For the first time in a long while...

He didn’t feel like he needed to chase the protagonist.

The protagonist would come to him.

He leaned back.

Then spoke quietly.

"Six hundred twenty thousand."

Gu Qingya looked toward him.

"What?"

Shen Tian smiled.

"Nothing."

Xu Ning laughed.

Then...

A new golden notification appeared.

[New Major Opportunity Detected]

Target: Lu Chen

Event: Return of the Black Wolf Mercenary Team

Time: 72 hours

New Destined Heroines: 2

Associated Fate: 35,000

Shen Tian’s smile widened.

"Perfect."

Gu Qingya stared.

"What is perfect?"

Shen Tian looked toward her.

Then...

His arrogance returned in full.

"Nothing you need to worry about."

He looked toward the city.

"I’ve got it."

And strangely...

Coming from him...

Gu Qingya believed it.

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