After almost drying all her hair, Mu Wanrou, guided by Mu An, lay down on the mattress.
Her smooth, fair back was fully exposed...
So shyly revealing yet still somewhat covered, it looked a bit blood-pumping.
Actually, Mu An had reminded her that she could put on clothes before getting the massage.
But the young girl either found it troublesome or simply didn't care about such a small matter, so she just left it as it was.
Even Mu Wanrou herself didn't mind, so Mu An naturally didn't say anything more and obediently used his [God-level Massage Ability].
However, the moment his large hand touched that tender skin, he still felt the girl's delicate body tremble slightly.
Although she quickly returned to normal, Mu An keenly noticed her earlobes turning faintly red.
The continuous emotional reward waves also didn't lie.
[Shy emotional fluctuation from Mu Wanrou +15. Congratulations, you've earned the reward [Fortune +15]!]
'So, Sister Wanrou can feel shy just like an ordinary girl!'
Mu An found it quite novel and couldn't help but chuckle softly in his heart.
Little did he know, in front of Mu Wanrou, who possessed mind-reading abilities, every word was heard without omission.
As a result, the blush on the girl's earlobes deepened even more.
After a while, under the powerful massage, the fatigue relief effect was immediate.
Mu An could feel that Mu Wanrou's whole body had relaxed.
Her previously furrowed brows gradually smoothed out, and the worries and exhaustion faded considerably.
"Sister Wanrou...?"
Mu An tentatively called out.
He received a somewhat lazy voice in response.
"Hmm, what is it...?"
"I want to ask, do you know someone named Kamiki Ayane?"
Mu An carefully chose his words and asked cautiously.
He thought about it for a moment—he hadn't seen or gotten involved with this mysteriously appearing heroine recently.
After some consideration, the only place she might be connected to was Mu Wanrou's side.
Why not the other heroines?
Because the Tianmu Group, currently controlled by Mu Wanrou, was a giant entity with strong influence both domestically and internationally.
If anyone could accidentally come into contact with a heroine whose name resembled one from the Sakura Country, it was most likely Mu Wanrou.
"Kind of know her, I guess."
As expected, upon hearing the name, Mu Wanrou's delicate body tensed up subconsciously for a moment.
But she quickly relaxed again, immersing herself once more in the man's supremely comfortable massage.
Her delicate nose even occasionally emitted soft hums of pleasure.
"Why, have you taken a liking to her recently and want to marry her?"
"Not impossible. It's just that her identity and family background are quite special, so handling it is a bit complicated."
"But if I put my mind to it, you can still win the beauty's heart!"
Mu Wanrou's voice perfectly expressed her current lazy yet gentle temperament.
But anyone could hear the dominance and confidence behind her words!
Special identity? Complicated to handle?
For others, just one of those might be enough to give up.
But Mu Wanrou was different.
If Mu An truly wanted her, she would use every means to get that person into Mu An's bed!
"No need to go that far. I'm just asking casually!"
Mu An felt embarrassed inside.
Although he was kind-hearted, holding the noble ideal of 'If only I had a grand mansion to shelter all the poor and cold under heaven,' and wanting to give every homeless girl a warm home, it didn't mean he was some kind of indiscriminate breeding machine who fell for every girl he saw.
On the contrary, he was a firm believer in 'pure love'!
Right. And this wasn't being a scumbag.
This was simply that his heart had accidentally shattered into many pieces!
Of course, all of that was just someone joking around in his head.
...
Hearing his inner monologue, Mu Wanrou couldn't help letting out a soft laugh.
"Sister Wanrou, what are you laughing at?"
Mu An was confused.
"Did I laugh?"
"Yes—you clearly laughed just now!"
"Then if you say I did, I did."
As she spoke, Mu Wanrou comfortably rolled her shoulders, as if she wanted to turn over.
But she seemed to have forgotten her current state, and nearly gave someone a full feast for the eyes.
Luckily, Mu An held back his inner demon with great willpower, promptly pressing her soft body back down, his expression serious.
"Sister Wanrou, what are you doing?"
"Turning over."
"Turning over for what?"
"The back's done. You're not going to do the front too?"
"..."
Hearing her matter-of-fact words, Mu An went straight into silence.
After holding it in for a long while, he finally asked gloomily,
"Sister Wanrou, do you not know there's a difference between men and women?"
"I know."
"You know, and you still—"
"Only for you."
"..."
Mu An fell silent again.
He wasn't made of wood—he naturally understood what that meant.
Everyone hides a little love-starved child in their heart, longing to be valued by others.
Longing to become the most special one in the heart of someone they care about.
And now, it seemed he had already become the most special existence in this girl's heart…
"So—do you want to press on?"
"If you want to go further, that's not impossible. We just need to take some safety measures."
"In the next few years, I'll be busy taking over Tianmu Group. I can't have a child yet."
Mu Wanrou chuckled softly.
The teasing and boldness in her words already surpassed a whole lineup of heroines.
She loved openly, without hiding at all.
And she carried that kind of resolve—willing to offer everything for her lover.
"Going further… let's do that another day…"
Mu An struggled internally and still refused.
Adults had to learn to think with their brains; a certain level of self-control was indispensable.
Besides, he still had serious business to ask about—like figuring out who Kamiki Ayane was.
But the moment he said that; she teased him back.
"Coward."
Mu An's mouth twitched.
He looked down at Mu Wanrou's beautiful back, his Adam's apple bobbing, his gaze sliding up and down.
Then, unable to resist the sudden impulse, he did something wicked—raising his hand and smacking her perky rear hard.
He even found a reason to comfort himself.
'After all… who told her to laugh at me and call me a coward?'
Smack—
The air fell silent for quite a while.
If Mu An hadn't been able to see the shy, tense emotional fluctuations continuously popping from Mu Wanrou, he might've thought she'd gotten angry.
"Ahem. Sister Wanrou, let's get back to the main topic?"
Mu An coughed and tried to break the strange silence.
But he faintly heard, from the girl whose face was buried in the pillow, a soft murmur: "Do it… again…"
"What?"
Mu An thought he must be hearing things.
At that moment, Mu Wanrou propped herself up and turned slightly to the side—like she'd quietly lifted a corner of the world's beauty.
Yet she acted as if she didn't notice at all, and forced herself to smile calmly.
"If you want information from me, naturally it has to be an equal exchange. Or what—can't you even satisfy such a small request?"
"..."
Mu An's heart shook.
He suddenly felt like he'd discovered a 'brand-new' Mu Wanrou.
A Mu Wanrou who was much more 'down-to-earth.'
Unlike the version of her who always appeared perfect in front of others—dignified and poised, clever to the point of being monstrous, as if she could command the eight directions.
This 'her' was like an ordinary girl too, with her own joys and sorrows and some weird little quirks.
She felt more real—someone he could actually touch with his own hands.
Not the moon in water, the flower in a mirror—visible, but unreachable.
But then again…
'I've never heard such a punchable request in my life!'
'So naturally… I have to satisfy her!'
Mu An raised his hand high again.
...
[From Mu Wanrou: comfortable and enjoying emotional fluctuation +25. Congratulations, you have obtained [Youth-Preserving Beauty Pill *1]!]
After that 'equal exchange,' Mu Wanrou buried her face into the pillow again for a long time.
Mu An almost thought she might pass out from lack of oxygen.
Only then did she finally begin, slowly, to tell him what she knew about Kamiki Ayane.
"Kamiki Ayane. From Sakura Country. The eldest daughter of the Kamiki family—also the sole heir."
"Some of the era-defining new technology shown at that Fruit Phone product launch a few days ago came from Kamiki Group."
"Of course, because of the black-tech you provided, our Tianmu Group can still crush them across the board…"
Mu Wanrou spoke in detail, laying out what she knew one by one.
Naturally, she focused on the key points; as for trivial growth experiences, she only mentioned them in passing.
'A major Sakura Country financial conglomerate? Controls both the underworld and the legitimate world? A genius sword-dao girl?'
Mu An organized the information in his mind.
At the same time, he couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for Mu Wanrou.
Although she didn't explicitly describe how hard she'd been working lately, from the way she casually mentioned things like 'thousands of suppliers defecting at the same time' and 'subsidiaries exploding one after another,' it was obvious—how much effort she'd poured in behind the scenes.
"Sister Wanrou, you've worked hard all this time."
Mu An couldn't help feeling guilty.
Tianmu Group was enormous—how many affairs did it involve?
Yet all that weight was pressed onto the girl's small shoulders.
Just imagining it was enough to make one's scalp go numb!
Meanwhile, he—the rich second-generation young master—spent his days eating, drinking, playing around… which made him look, frankly, a bit 'unmotivated.'
One saying really was true:
There's no such thing as a peaceful life—only someone carrying the burden for you.
"Mmm. It's fine. I'm used to it."
Mu Wanrou didn't take it seriously.
But that single word, 'used to it,' somehow made Mu An's nose sting.
"Do you really not need me to tie up that 'someone' and bring her to your bed?"
Mu Wanrou asked again.
"No need. I'm just asking."
Mu An smiled and refused.
His massage pressure was just right.
While helping her relieve fatigue, he also treated the small ailments her body had accumulated over the years.
After that, they chatted on and off about many things.
Including Mu An's recent plan to find a professional who understood business operations—preferably someone with strong capability.
After thinking for a moment, Mu Wanrou gave him a contact.
She said it was a talent Tianmu Group had specially cultivated—worth using.
"Sister Wanrou…?"
Not hearing any further response, Mu An stopped his hands.
Looking closely, he realized Mu Wanrou had fallen asleep at some point.
Her breathing was steady, her brows relaxed, and there was even a faint smile at the corners of her lips.
After working all night without sleep, she was simply too tired…
Mu An stood up lightly.
He adjusted the air conditioner to the most suitable temperature, then covered her curvy body with a thin blanket to prevent her from catching cold when she woke up.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to place the [Youth-Preserving Beauty Pill] he'd just obtained on the bedside table.
He also left a note describing its effects and reminding her to take it.
At the very end, Mu An gently kissed her forehead, then quietly closed the door and left.
'Sister Wanrou, good night. Have a sweet dream.
...
On the other side,
Bai Yi rubbed her big, sleepy eyes and, unusually, greeted Mu An.
"Oh. You're up this early today?"
But Mu An glared at her.
"Why are you talking so loud? Sister Wanrou's still sleeping!"
If he didn't know the rooms had good soundproofing, he might've already dragged the girl over and spanked her.
"Why are you being so mean…"
Bai Yi pouted unhappily.
If it weren't for the fact that yesterday he'd given her and Hong Yi a day off so they could go out and have fun, she wouldn't have taken the initiative to be friendly at all!
And yet in the end, she'd still gotten cold-shouldered—her enthusiasm wasted!
[From Bai Yi: gloomy and resentful emotional fluctuation +15. Congratulations, you have obtained [Proficiency +2000]!]
Downstairs.
"Young Master, do you need me to prepare your bathwater?"
Ning'er stood behind Mu An, her slender hands massaging his shoulders.
"Oh? What—do you want to bathe with me?"
Mu An patted her little hand and teased.
Earlier, he'd just finished a phone call—the person he contacted was the owner of the contact Mu Wanrou had given him.
In order to push forward the acquisition of the web-novel platform as soon as possible, the two had already arranged to meet later.
"If it's Young Master… then it's not impossible…"
Ning'er glanced at Bai Yi eating breakfast beside them, then met the man's playful gaze, and couldn't help covering her slightly burning cheeks.
Refuse? She would never refuse.
Because Young Master was the person, she liked the most, most, most!
[From the girl: shy emotional fluctuation +20. Congratulations, you have obtained [Years of Cultivation +2]!]
"Lewd in broad daylight. Shameless…"
Bai Yi muttered, biting into her sweet steamed bun.
That fierce chewing looked like she was taking revenge on an enemy.
Just then, Hong Yi, who had finished practicing a set of moves in the courtyard, walked in gracefully.
Seeing her, Bai Yi's face immediately brightened.
She even patted the seat beside her, signaling for Hong Yi to sit over there.
Meanwhile, Mu An gave Bai Yi a smile that wasn't a smile and pointed at her, saying,
"Hong Yi—remember to make her train extra tonight. Double the amount!"
'Daring to be sarcastic right in front of me—if that isn't provocation, what is? Three days without a beating and she'll climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles!'
'I have to make her explode a huge wave of rewards before my anger will calm down!'
"Okay."
Hong Yi nodded quietly.
"..."
Hearing that, Bai Yi's face instantly turned bitter.
She wanted to curse someone for fighting dirty.
But when she saw the man's smiling gaze on her, the words in her mouth obediently went back down.
'This isn't cowardice—I'm strategically retreating!'
'When I finally convince Hong Yi to stop listening to this guy, that's when we sisters rise up and rebel!'
Thinking of that glorious victory scene—somebody kneeling at her feet, crying and begging—Bai Yi couldn't help grinning like an idiot.
[All effort will yield results, and where there is oppression, there is resistance. Just thinking about the day she successfully turns the tables and stomps you underfoot, Bai Yi is already smug in advance! Girl's emotional fluctuation +20. Congratulations, you have obtained [Book · About me, as a captive, rising up, rallying the masses, dragging the villain off his pedestal, and taking sweet, sweet revenge—an utterly delightful matter!]!]
"Still has energy to giggle—clearly the training intensity is too weak!"
"Hong Yi—add another double to her training!"
Mu An smiled faintly.
Hong Yi nodded.
Bai Yi: "..."
Bai Yi's bitter face duration +1 +1 +1…
[From the girl: speechless and miserable emotional fluctuation +25. Congratulations, you have obtained [Beginner Skill · Targeted Personal Dirt Auto-Collection Card *1]!]
...
Anyan Pavilion.
With new dishes and new ways of eating constantly emerging, plus the staff's excellent service attitude, business here was booming—calling it raking in money daily wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Many people even traveled great distances just to get a bite of the signature dishes here.
At mealtimes, long lines almost always formed outside the entrance—lively to the extreme.
This also meant the waitstaff inside were extremely busy, sometimes so busy they didn't even have time to drink a sip of water.
In the employees' break room.
A petite girl with a bun hairstyle drooped her face, her small fist constantly pounding her calves that ached from standing too long.
When she opened her mouth, it was a flood of complaints.
"Qingyu, when are we going to end this part-time job?"
"The pay here isn't even high, and being a server is exhausting."
"And there are always shameless creeps staring at me like a pervert—so disgusting!"
At this moment, Gu Qingyu was wearing the same staff uniform as everyone else in the shop.
It was a standard, uniform outfit—yet it still couldn't hide her curvy figure.
Her chest rose like hills, daring to compete with the heavens; one glance was enough to make it hard to look away.
Her shoulder-length hair was tied into a high ponytail, looking crisp and capable, giving her the vibe of a 'commoner campus beauty.'
"Actually, Xing'er, you don't have to come with me to do part-time work."
"I need money, but you don't."
Since it was already time to get off work, Gu Qingyu was about to change out of her uniform.
At the same time, she glanced at her university classmate and best friend, Wang Xing'er, and tried to persuade her again.
"Service work is tiring, that's just how it is."
"But this shop's boss lady is really nice—especially to us college students who do part-time work. The pay is high."
"At least, it's much higher than the other restaurants I know around here."
"So, I'm still pretty willing to work here."
Wang Xing'er rolled her eyes.
As a pampered rich girl, she truly couldn't understand how this counted as 'high pay.'
Working hard for a whole year probably wouldn't even match her monthly allowance, okay?!
"Then why don't you come be my private tutor, Qingyu?"
"I can pay you—definitely many times more than this crappy wage!"
Gu Qingyu only smiled and didn't answer.
After all—compared to charity from others, she preferred earning money with her own hands.
Light plaid shirt, pale blue jeans, black baseball cap, and a bit of makeup in front of the mirror…
Now Wang Xing'er had also changed clothes.
She was wearing a cute Lolita-style dress, with a distinctly 'princess' vibe.
The price was probably not under six figures!
For ordinary people, that was absolutely a luxury item.
But for a rich young lady like Wang Xing'er, it was just another "ordinary" piece in her closet.
Seeing Gu Qingyu like this, she couldn't help leaning in curiously.
"Qingyu, who are you going to meet? Your boyfriend?"
After all, Gu Qingyu rarely wore makeup—unless it was for certain special etiquette courses at university.
"Meeting the boss."
Gu Qingyu answered succinctly.
To be honest, if this future 'boss' hadn't urgently wanted to see her so suddenly, she would've gone home first and changed into something more formal.
"The boss?"
Wang Xing'er looked baffled.
"Mmm. Xing'er, you go back first later."
As she spoke, the girl stood up and tidied her appearance in the mirror again.
Then she walked straight toward a high-end private room on the third floor of Anyan Pavilion.
Earlier, she had arranged to meet the 'boss' here…
'What boss? More like some gross man lusting after Qingyu's looks.'
'No way—this young lady can't let my bestie get tricked!'
After making up her mind, Wang Xing'er immediately followed behind Gu Qingyu in a sneaky, furtive way, clearly intending to peek and see what was going on.
...
Inside a private room.
Mu An was intimately holding Gong Nanyan by her slender waist, smiling as he teased,
"Nanyan, it's only been a few days and you've gotten even prettier."
"You… you're always talking sweet nonsense…"
Gong Nanyan shot him a sultry white-eyed glare.
She said that, but being praised like that by the man she liked—her cheeks still couldn't help but flush, and her heart turned sweet like honey.
[From Gong Nanyan: happy emotional fluctuation +18. Congratulations, you have obtained [Proficiency +2800]!]
Knock knock—
The door to the private room was tapped.
Gong Nanyan promptly pressed down the man's eager hand and whispered, "Stop fooling around—there's a guest…"
Mu An chuckled, not annoyed.
He simply whispered something into her ear—and that battle-hardened woman instantly turned red to the ears.
Emotional rewards came one after another!